Last ditch bid to ban wind turbines from Kilkenny city hinterland fails

Councillor have failed to in their unanimous bid to have Kilkenny city’s rural hinterland declared off-limits to wind turbines.

The councillors ran into legal and procedural obstacles after a last-minute attempt to change the zoning of Castlewarren, Johnswell and surrounding areas to designate them unsuited to wind energy development.

The move came after local representatives received almost 600 letters pleading for a change to the wind energy strategy section of the draft city and county development plan.

Save Our Hills campaigners argue that countryside community will be spoiled for ever if turbines are installed and that it will negatively impact on the city’s medieval character.

Most new turbines are 160 to 180 metres high, and campaigners say they will be visible in the city’s background and dwarf their homes.

However, the councillors’ bid to block the wind turbine plans were scuppered after it emerged that, by law, the plan had to be adopted by September 8.

They were told that any change to the strategy would require going to public consultation for a period that would extend weeks beyond that date.