National guidelines are urgently needs says local councillor
North Kerry residents gathered in Tarbert this week to rail against one of the biggest solar farm applications the county has ever seen.
One resident despaired that his skyline would become black with solar panels as a wave of applications for solar farms cut up the north Kerry countryside.
The public meeting took place at Tarbert Community Centre on the August 31 with over 60 people in attendance.
Circal Bann Solar Limited has submitted a planning application to both Kerry County Council and Limerick City and County Council to construct a solar farm with a total area of 245-hectares, 175 of which lies within Kerry.
The application seeks a 10-year planning permission, with the solar farm expected to have an operational lifespan of 40 years.
As the plans stand, parts of the solar farm will be as close as 60 metres from Jerry Scanlon’s home near Tarbert and will transform the view from his front window.
He chaired the meeting as a member of ‘Tarbert and Glin Say No To Solar Farm’ community group.
“I’m living in the area and my own house will be grossly affected by this proposal up on the hill,” said Jerry.
“My house was designed to have a green field that’s elevating away from the house, so when I look out the window, it will be my full skyline that will be covered in black.”
“On the side of the hill, it can be seen from miles around. The proposal is in completely the wrong place, even scale and effect will not reduce the impact on people’s homes.”
The site covers a patchwork of townlands including Kilmurrily, Tarmonhill, Bauragoogeen, Leitrim East, Tarmon East, Shanaway East and Shanaway West.
Nearby residents arrived at the public meeting in much greater force than previous solar farm applications, according to Jerry, with three times more attendees than similar public meetings last year.
Concerns raised by those at the meeting included the ability of the roads to cope with heavy traffic during construction, the quality of the infrastructure designs and the effect on the environment.
“It’s just that the proposals are surely too big, and there is a massive worry about the impact on the local wildlife and the ecological aspect of the area,” said Jerry.
“We’re not opposed to solar. There are places that are ideally placed for solar panels, but that’s not my decision to make…I don’t want to be seen as saying ‘not in our parish, but in someone else’s parish.’”
“We understand that we have to meet our climate targets for 2030. That is quite clear. We understand that north Kerry has it do its bit…but you have to think of the communities within these, all of them…there will not be a green field left in our area if we keep continuing the way we are continuing.”
In north Kerry, a 146.6-hectare solar farm at Leanamore was approved in 2023, while another application for a 272-hectare solar farm at Moyvane is currently being assessed.
An application for a farm of 119.3-hectares at Ballyline has been appealed by the applicant, Statkraft Ireland Limited.
Previous applications including a 349-hectare farm at Knockanure and a 146.6-hectare site at Leanamore have been deemed incomplete while bids for a 357-hecare farm at Tullamore refused and a 84-hectare site near Lisselton were rejected.
Local councillor Michael Foley sees the sudden influx of solar farms as a repeat of what happened in north Kerry with the wind farms.
He highlighted the lack of national guidelines surrounding the solar industry which he believes would provide the necessary controls over planning decisions.
“We’re having a serious problem here of oversaturation of solar farms in one area. Look, I’m not against solar farms, but we have a serious problem with them,” said Cllr Foley.
“It’s just unbelievable the amount that’s being put in one area. We’re going down the same the same route as the wind turbines.
“The government has to step in because they’re building these things without National Guidelines…it was the exact same thing with the wind turbines.”
Circal Bann Solar Ltd said they are aware of concerns raised locally and that the overall site area has been reduced by approximately 100 acres, with a corresponding reduction in visual impact.
The design has minimised the effects of glint and glare on local residents, they said, and environment assessments have concluded that no protected areas or Natura 2000 sites will be impacted.
“We are fully committed to conducting the planning process in an open, respectful and transparent manner…Circal welcomes people making submissions or raising issues through the formal planning process,” they said.
The only specific stipulation regarding solar farms in the Kerry County Development Plan is that they must be situated on marginal land.
Kerry County Council is due to make a decision on the application by 8 October.
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme