Controversial wind mast on Midlands bog gets green light for further three years

Bord na Móna has been given permission to retain a controversial wind mast on a Midlands bog for a further three years, despite a strong campaign of opposition from a local heritage and bog conservation group.

Bord na Móna Powergen Ltd, sought retention from Offaly County Council of an existing guyed wind monitoring mast, with instruments, for a further period of three years on Lemanaghan bog in west Offaly. The stated purpose of the 100 metre mast, according to the planning application, is to assess “the suitability of the company's adjacent lands for windfarm development.”

Permission for the retention of the mast was granted for a further three years, subject to three planning conditions, including that the applicants must remove the structure, at their own expense, at the end of the three year period and return the site to its original condition “unless it's continued use and presence is allowed by reason of a future plannning permission.”

In the interests of public safety, council planners have also laid down a condition that the applicants must contact the Irish Aviation Authority 30 days prior to any crane operations on the site, and that the fixed red obstacle aviation lighting on the mast must be visible in all directions and operational 24/7.

Having regard to a number of issues, including the rural nature of the site, the intended use of the development, the current Development Plan and the large number of third-party submissions on file, Offaly County Council ruled that the proposed development would not “seriously injure the amenities of the area, or of property in the vicinity” and was in accordance with the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.

The Lemanaghan Bog Heritage and Conservation Group is strongly opposed to the construction of any wind energy project on Lemanaghan Bog, and has mounted a vigorous campaign over the past three years.

Their ongoing public campaign across west Offaly resulted in over 1,500 submissions being handed into Offaly County Council in 2021 seeking to have a controversial clause in the Draft County Development Plan amended to remove Lemanaghan Bog as an area open to consideration for wind energy.

In a strongly-worded statement issued last month, the group described the existing wind mast on Lemanaghan Bog as both “invasive and redundant” and said the continued presence of the 100-metre-high mast in an area of heritage and ecological importance “disrupts the natural landscape that many have worked hard to preserve".

They called on Offaly County Council to reject the planning application for retention of the controversial mast for another three years and urged local public representatives and the west Offaly community to support them in their efforts to safeguard the bog from “unnecessary industrial encroachments.”