CAMPAIGNERS against a proposed windfarm in the Maughanaclea Hills near Bantry have launched a fundraising drive.

Grassroots organisation Stop The Spin is looking to use any funds raised to appoint independent experts as part of the planning process.

The group is hoping to recruit experts with knowledge in hydrology, ecology, planning and the law to assess the large-scale project.

‘These are not optional extras’ Stop The Spin spokesperson Noelle Aller Ontalba said. ‘Without independent expert input, it is extremely difficult for any community to meaningfully engage with a development of this complexity and scale.’

The windfarm proposal was recently granted Strategic Infrastructure Development (SID) status and will be determined directly by An Coimisiún Pleanála, bypassing Cork County Council.

The development would be made up of 14 wind turbines in the area of the Maughanaclea Hills, Kealkill, Coomclogh, Cousane and the Mealagh Valley.

Under the SID process, once the planning application is formally lodged and validated, the public will have six weeks to review and respond to the application.

Noelle Aller Ontalba said the application is expected to be highly complex and technical, with An Coimisiún Pleanála having the final say in the matter, with no right of appeal.

‘With SID status now confirmed, the community is facing a single, limited window to respond to this project of significant scale.

‘Our priority  is to ensure that our response is informed, evidence based and supported by qualified independent experts,’ Ms Aller Ontalba said.

Wind farm applications of this scale ran to thousands of pages of technical documentation, she added, which needed multidisciplinary expertise.
‘The developer has indicated that the application may be lodged with An Coimisiún Pleanála [shortly].

‘Given the scale of the documentation, which can run to thousands of pages, the blunt reality is that while the developer may spend years preparing these applications, the community has just six weeks to study and write submissions,’ she added.

A community fundraiser has been launched, offering a prize of a €1,500 travel voucher from West Cork Travel.

‘This is a critical stage and we are asking people to support the fundraising effort and help in any way possible to ensure this proposal is fully and rigorously assessed.’

Tickets for the fundraiser are available at: idonate.ie/raffle/WinaLuxuryHolidaytoadestinationofyourchoice.