Connacht Tribune
Wind farm plan rejected over environmental concerns
Residents in East Galway have won their battle to prevent a wind farm in their area after the development was turned down – on environmental grounds and in particular the potential impact it would have on local rivers as well as wildlife in the area.
It was claimed that the five-turbine wind farm would be taller than The Spire in O’Connell Street and would have an adverse impact on the Brown Long-eared Bats which roost in the area during the maternity process while it is also a location as a Barn Owl nest site
When planning permission was granted by Galway County Council for the wind farm near Eyrecourt, there was uproar amongst local residents who came together to appeal this decision. Their appeal has now been successful.
It was proposed to provide a wind farm in the townlands of Lisbeg, Coolcarta East, Annaghcorrib and Coolcarta West.
The wind farm would have five turbines and the developers undertook to upgrade local roads.
While county planners granted permission for the wind farm to the applicants Fran O Domhnaill and Richard Bourns, the application had been subject to 40 submissions, mainly from local residents, who voiced their against the development.
They had raised concerns in relation to noise, visual impact, shadow flicker, health, traffic implications, the impact it would have on wildlife and local rivers while they also argued that it would devalue property in the locality and have an impact on tourism.
The applicants argued that there was no suitable roosting habitat in the immediate area of the proposed development. They said that the wind farm would not affect some of the bird species identified in the opposition to the development.
It was also stated by the applicants that the site is located around 2.5 kilometres from the nearest floodplain and is separated by a cut over bog.
They said that the Barn Owl nests over two kilometres away and there is no longer evidence to support the presence of the aforementioned Brown Long-eared Bats.
The local residents appealed this decision to An Bord Pleanala who ruled in their favour and overturned the decision of Galway County Council, mainly on the basis of its location Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection areas.
The Planning Appeals Board ruled that the wind farm would also be in close proximity to the River Suck, Middle Shannon Callows and Little Brosna Callows which are designated for their importance to wintering and migratory birds, wetland birds and waterfowl.
“The wind farm site is potentially used and over flown by a range of bird species that are listed as conservation interests for these nearby Special Protection Areas and the proposed development would cause a disturbance and pose a potential collision risk to these species which include the Whooper Swan, Lapwind and Golden Plover,” An Bord Pleanala stated.
The Board were also not satisfied that the proposed development would not have an adverse impact on environmentally sensitive sites in the immediate area.
Local FF councillor Donal Burke also expressed concerns over the development. “The area around Clonfert is low-lying and is classified as a low wind speed area.
The proposed turbines would be among the tallest in the country to date, with a maximum overall blade tip height of 169 metres and residents have concerns about the effect of these on families living nearby and on the landscape,” he said.
The Fianna Fail councillor said that, to put it into perspective, the turbines would be 47 metres higher than The Spire in Dublin’s O’Connell Street.
Significant state investment is required to address ‘shocking’ inequalities that leave cancer patients in the West at greater risk of succumbing to the disease.
A meeting of Regional Health Forum West heard that survival rates for breast, lung and colorectal cancers than the national average, and with the most deprived quintile of the population, the West’s residents faced poorer outcomes from a cancer diagnosis.
For breast cancer patients, the five-year survival rate was 80% in the West versus 85% nationally; for lung cancer patients it was 16.7% in the west against a 19.5% national survival rate; and in the West’s colorectal cancer patients, there was a 62.6% survival rate where the national average was 63.1%.
These startling statistics were provided in answer to a question from Ballinasloe-based Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) who said it was yet another reminder that cancer treatment infrastructure in the West was in dire need of improvement.
“The situation is pretty stark. In the Western Regional Health Forum area, we have the highest incidence of deprivation and the highest health inequalities because of that – we have the highest incidences of cancer nationally because of that,” said Cllr Parsons, who is also a general practitioner.
In details provided by CEO of Saolta Health Care Group, which operates Galway’s hospitals, it was stated that a number of factors were impacting on patient outcomes.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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GARDAÍ and the IFA have issued a joint appeal to all road users to take extra care as the silage season gets under way across the country.
Silage harvesting started in many parts of Galway last week – and over the coming month, the sight of tractors and trailers on rural roads will be getting far more frequent.
Inspector Conor Madden, who is in charge of Galway Roads Policing, told the Farming Tribune that a bit of extra care and common-sense from all road users would go a long way towards preventing serious collisions on roads this summer.
“One thing I would ask farmers and contractors to consider is to try and get more experienced drivers working for them.
“Tractors have got faster and bigger – and they are also towing heavy loads of silage – so care and experience are a great help in terms of accident prevention,” Inspector Madden told the Farming Tribune.
He said that tractor drivers should always be aware of traffic building up behind them and to pull in and let these vehicles pass, where it was safe to do so.
“By the same token, other road users should always exercise extra care; drive that bit slower; and ‘pull in’ that bit more, when meeting tractors and heavy machinery.
“We all want to see everyone enjoying a safe summer on our roads – that extra bit of care, and consideration for other roads users can make a huge difference,” said Conor Madden.
He also advised motorists and tractor drivers to be acutely aware of pedestrians and cyclists on the roads during the summer season when more people would be out walking and cycling on the roads.
The IFA has also joined in on the road safety appeal with Galway IFA Farm Family and Social Affairs Chair Teresa Roche asking all road users to exercise that extra bit of care and caution.
“We are renewing our annual appeal for motorists to be on the look out for tractors, trailers and other agricultural machinery exiting from fields and farmyards,” she said.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
