Ballynacargy solar farm approved by An Bord Pleanála

A decision by Westmeath County Council to grant planning permission for a solar farm near Ballynacargy has been upheld by An Bord Pleanála.

The application by Harmony Solar Kildallan Ltd, care of Gravis Planning of 41 Baggot Street Lower, Dublin, for the farm, at Toor Commons, was granted permission by the county council on September 10, 2024 but appealed to An Bord Pleanála by Brian and Catriona McGowan, care of Michael Halligan of Seapoint House, Balbriggan, County Dublin. Listed as observers were Alan Boyce of Ballyhoreen, Ballynacargy and Ger Maher of Ballysallagh, Ballynacargy.

The permission gives the company 10 years to develop the farm, and then 40 years to operate it.

The application was for 781,576 square metres of ground-mounted photovoltaic panels, 17 hardstanding locations for electrical skids, new internal access tracks and two new access points.

The total site area is circa 140 hectares set across three parcels of land at Toor Commons and Ballyhug, Ballynacargy. One of the parcels of land is next to the village boundary of Ballynacargy, although still more than 1km from the village centre.

Describing the site, the inspector said that the landscape of the area is characterised by undulating open poorly-drained fields in pasture or conifer plantation.

The appeal submitted contained what the inspector described as a detailed submission, arguing that the site was part of a landscape of high scenic and wildlife quality, and that the proposed development would seriously impact on the tranquil qualities of the area.

The submission argued that there is no national policy framework for assessing solar farms, and that in light of that, the farm was contrary to Westmeath policy objectives with regard to promoting tourism and protecting landscape and heritage resources. Its proximity to designated wildlife habitats was also noted.

Other concerns raised related to local drainage patterns and the potential to cause pluvial flooding; the creation of “glint and glare” problems that would affect local homes; the potential impact on property values and also traffic considerations.

There were also concerns about potential negative effect on archaeological and other culturally significant sites in the area; the threat to the whooper swan; the loss of agricultural land; noise pollution, the impact on local views and alleging a lack of sufficient consultation and community engagement.

The response of the applicant was that all of those issues had been fully addressed by the county council in its planning report.

After going through the points raised in the submission and by the observers, the inspector recommended that the planning permission decision be upheld, subject to conditions.

That was on the basis that the proposed development would support national and regional renewable energy policy objectives, would be consistent with the provisions of the Westmeath County Development Plan 2021-2027, would not seriously injure the visual or residential amenities of the area or otherwise depreciate the value of property in the vicinity, would not constitute a traffic hazard or cause congestion, would not have an unacceptable impact on the character of the landscape or on cultural heritage, and would make a positive contribution to Ireland’s renewable energy requirements.