'No wind farm on our bog!' say Offaly campaigners during General Election

MANY people in West Offaly are using the General Election period as an opportunity to try and get their opinion across to candidates knocking on their doors that they don't want to see a Wind Farm on their cherished Lemanaghan Bog.

Aoife Phelan of the Lemanaghan Bog Heritage and Conservation Group told the Tribune that the proposed Wind Farm on Lemanaghan Bog is a matter of pressing concern to the local community “and it's a matter that many people have been raising with election candidates when they call to our doors looking for our vote.”

She said many people in the region stand “firmly opposed” to the proposed development of 15 giant turbines by Bord na Móna and SSE Airtricity because the bog is an an area “renowned for its archaeological significance and biodiversity. This development has stirred significant local opposition due to the potential harm to the area's unique natural and cultural landscape. Additionally, concerns over health implications have been highlighted.”

The group is campaigning against the project with the help of CEPA (Communities for Environmental Protection Alliance), which this week said it's still awaiting a response from the Taoiseach more than four weeks after meeting him regarding the impact that windfarm developments are having on Irish communities.

“While the Taoiseach acknowledged the problem,” commented Aoife, “there appears to be no movement towards a solution.”

CEPA says the HSE are often not being notified of An Bord Pleanála windfarm planning applications, “which is concerning, as the two most recent wind farm applications for which the HSE were notified, were both refused on public health grounds, and the planner deemed the noise assessment inadequate.”

CEPA was formed in March of this year. It is made up of representatives from over 50 community action groups opposing “unsuitable” windfarm developments in 21 counties. CEPA says it's concerned with the cumulative impact windfarms are having on the health of individuals and families living too close to wind turbines.

Aoife Phelan told The Midland Tribune that residents in Lemanaghan are concerned about noise pollution. “Over 300 homes will be within a two kilometre radius of the wind turbines,” she said.