Stanley brands buffer zone removal a retrograde step

Local Sinn Féin TD Brian Stanley has said “the removal of the 2km buffer zone between villages and wind turbines by Offaly County Council is a major step backwards.’’

“The 2 km buffer zone was an important political statement by local councillors contained in the previous Offaly County Development Plan. Giant turbines on the scale of the ones being built in Offaly should not be located within 2km of a village or town,’’ Deputy Stanley said this week on foot of the decision by public representatives.

“Some of those proposing the removal quoted the guidance from the Office of Planning Regulator (OPR). However, it is important the council takes its own position of these matters and maintains some semblance of local democracy. It is the people living in towns and villages in Offaly that will be affected by this, not the senior officials in the office of the Planning Regulator.

"Statements by supporters of the change, that national guidelines will protect all dwellings equally is absolute fantasy. The reality is that the guidelines that are in place at national level are outdated and were designed for a time when turbines were quarter of the size that they are now. Successive Fianna Fáil & Fine Gael Governments have promised to update these guidelines but have failed miserably to do so. As a result they have provided no protection for rural dwellers, particularly in County Offaly, which is fast becoming the windfarm capital of the country,’’ he explained.

“I have brought forward legislation a number of times on this and currently have a Bill which I am seeking the support of all parties for. It would allow sensitively located wind turbines while giving a level of protection to local communities. If enacted, it would give local councillors full control over the decisions on where wind turbines are located and would stipulate proper set back distances from dwellings. It would put in place noise limits that are in line with World Health Organisation guidelines and protect against shadow flicker on homes.

@In the absence of any proper guidelines and the removal of the 2 km buffer zone in the Offaly County Development Plan, communities in the County have been left at the mercy of wind farm corporations,’’ he ended.