Coolea locals concerned about potential heavy traffic to windfarm

A VILLAGE in the Gaeltacht could be ‘wrecked’ by huge trucks carrying loads of concrete for the construction of a wind farm on the Cork/Kerry border, according to a local councillor.

Cllr Gobnait Moynihan (FF) sought a suspension of standing orders at a recent meeting of the local authority in order to highlight the issue and said local residents in Coolea are ‘keeled over’ by the heavy traffic heading towards the Grousemount wind farm.

‘They are talking now of bringing 60 loads per day through the village. This will affect the whole village as well as parents and families using the school and naíonra there,’ said Cllr Moynihan.

‘People are trying to use the road there and the company behind the construction of these 37 wind turbines on the Kerry side did not have planning for concrete going up through Coolea. 

‘Cork County Council wrote to them a few weeks ago to inform them that they need to refer to An
Bord Pleanála on this.’

Cllr Moynihan said the reason she was bringing this up was because Cork County Council, Kerry County Council and the ESBi held a meeting recently about this.

‘I want to make sure that Cork County Council is standing by the letter that the ESBi need to go through An Bord Pleanála.’

Cork County Council chief executive Tim Lucey, said that the company has permission and that they have to agree to a time management plan. ‘It’s a process that we will work through and if there’s an alternative process that’s to our satisfaction, we would look at that,’ said Mr Lucey.

Cllr Moynihan said that there is another option available which means the trucks don’t need to go through Coolea, but that the reason they weren’t using it was because it was ‘not commercially viable’, which she said was ‘appalling.’

Cllr Moynihan asked if the letter that was sent to the ESBi refusing approval for their time management plan still stands and was told by Mr Lucey that it does and she added that she wants to make sure the Council stand by it.