Kerry councillors have opted to disregard the recommendation made by the planning watchdog relating to wind farm development in the County Development Plan.
Kerry County Council has adopted the 2022-2028 plan which will come into effect in six weeks time.
Last week, the Office of the Planning Regulator, which oversees the creation of the County Development Plan made several recommendations relating to amendments made by councillors at an earlier meeting.
One of the amendments involved the omission of North and East Kerry as areas open to consideration for wind farm development, instead limiting future construction to a section near Kilgarvan.
The OPR recommended the council remove this amendment and instead reopen other areas around the county to consideration in order to meet the national framework and wind energy guidelines.
This recommendation was emphasised by the council’s CEO who told councillors that limiting the development in such a way could result in the submission of all power related to wind energy policy in the county to the OPR, making it much more difficult to influence any decision-making.
Councillors, once again, pushed back against that notion, arguing that Kerry has contributed more than its fair share of wind energy.
The OPR also took issue with councillors’ stance on the cutting of turf to heat homes, which, it says, could endanger protected peatlands.
Councillors accepted the advice of the OPR to change the wording of the amendment to limit turf cutting to outside of designated nature conservation sites.
The CEO now must write to the planning regulator justifying the council’s reasons for not adopting the recommendations made.
The OPR then has four weeks to give a draft direction to the council and contact the minister with responsibility for planning who will then give the local authority notice as to his intention to take action or not.
