Plans for Wicklow solar farm refused over visual impact
The latest application proposed to construct PV panels mounted on metal support structures along with a battery energy storage system (BESS), with access provided via the neighbouring, approved solar farm.
The solar farm, battery energy storage system BESS and main infrastructure, including inverter stations, MV stations, new access tracks, underground cabling, a temporary construction compound and a substation, would occupy five fields of agricultural land currently being used for arable farming, with perimeter fencing surrounding it, 16 CCTV cameras and access gates.
Refusing the application, a senior executive Wicklow County Council planner noted three reasons for the decision, including the overall scale of the proposed development within a designated Coastal Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, its visibility from the surrounding road network and the 'cumulative effect of a number of permitted solar farms within the immediate area'.
'It is considered that the proposed solar farm would be contrary to the objectives of the County Development Plan, would result in a significant visual impact due to the local landscape appearing industrialised and would negatively impact on this scenic coastal rural area,' the planner wrote.
Noting the potential detrimental impacts on the amenities of residential property in the area, the loss of established agricultural land and the lack of supporting information, the planner commented that the local authority is 'not satisfied that the proposed development would not seriously injure the amenities of the area'.
Commenting on how it was 'not possible to fully assess the potential impact on the amenities of the area', the planner highlighted the lack of sufficient information submitted, including a fieldwork-based archaeological impact assessment, decommissioning costs, plans outlining appropriate riparian buffer zones and a report on the potential impacts of a cumulative loss of agricultural land in the area'.
BNRG has four weeks from the decision date (July 9) to appeal the decision to An Coimisiún Pleanála.
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