New nature corridors will limit windfarms in parts of Offaly

By Tadhg Carey and Rebekah O'Reilly

Offaly County Council has introduced new policies which are set to limit the use of swathes of west and east Offaly for further renewable energy development.

The move, which involved the adoption of a variation to the county development to create Peatland and Nature Corridors, came in the face of stiff opposition from BnM.

The two Peatland and Nature Corridors cover extensive areas of rehabilitated bogland. The eastern corridor includes Cavemount, Esker, Ballycon, Derrycricket, Clonsast North, Clonsast and Derryounce, while the western corridor stretches across Blackwater, Ballaghurt and Belmont Bogs from Clonmacnoise towards Belmont village.

The existing development plan included an objective for the council to work with stakeholders such as Bord Na Móna, Coillte and others to “examine the feasibility of developing a Wilderness Corridor on rehabilitated peatlands”.

The council said it was now bringing this objective into effect and renaming the proposed “Wilderness Corridors” as “Peatland and Nature Corridors”.

It describes the two corridors as “buffers” and the adopted variation also mandates the council to “stringently assess the impact of any proposed windfarm development on the Peatland and Nature Corridors”.

It also says planning applications for wind or solar energy should be assessed for their impact on peatland and nature corridors, in terms of tranquillity, landscape, options for amenity and tourism development, biodiversity protection and enhancement.

Proposed Variation No. 1 of the Offaly County Development Plan 2021-2027 was approved by Offaly County Council under Section 58 of the Planning and Development Act 2024 (as amended) following consideration of the Chief Executive’s Report, environmental assessments and public submissions.

The corridors are envisaged as large, unspoilt landscapes characterised by an absence of intrusive development, settlements and visual disturbance.

The aim is to create places where visitors can “go off the beaten track”, immerse themselves in nature and experience restored peatland habitats. The areas are intended to support biodiversity, nature restoration and climate resilience while also creating opportunities for recreation and tourism.

On foot of several submissions querying the proposed Peatlands and Nature Corridors, the council issued a staunch defence of its proposals, trenchantly arguing that the changes recognise the need to achieve a balanced approach to the future use of rehabilitated peatlands, ensuring that biodiversity protection, habitat restoration and the character of the county’s distinctive peatland landscape remain central to future planning decisions.

In submissions on the proposed variation, Bord Na Móna, now trading as BNM, said it did not support the 'Peatland and Nature Corridors' amendments, as they would “directly impact the progression of wind energy project in those areas”.

It asked that Offaly County Council retain “collaborative wording” to ensure landowners “remain direct partners in the planning and delivery of any 'Peatland and Nature Corridors'”.

The company acknowledged that Offaly has made a 'significant' contribution of renewable projects in recent years, however it suggests this has led to “a range of benefits” such as property rates and community benefit funds.

It asked that, rather than viewing climate targets as a 'ceiling', the council should view them as “something that Offaly can and should aim to push beyond”.

Referring to the areas proposed for designation as corridors, BNM noted they were 'prime sites' with “huge potential in terms of renewable energy generation”.

It added that lands owned by BNM are “industrial landscapes” with health and safety risks, where unauthorised access is “forbidden”.

“We would therefore request that language encouraging visitors to 'go off the beaten track', 'to get away from it all', and 'to immerse themselves in nature' is removed.”

The council in response stated the county’s renewables ‘pipeline’ is 2GW which could if delivered, meet 11% of the entire country’s target for wind and 14% for solar.

It said cutaway bogs “cannot be construed as a blanket designation for the over saturation of large-scale industrial windfarms”.

“The ‘Peatlands and Nature Corridors’ will assist in ensuring that alternative land uses, including a ‘break’ from large scale renewables (i.e. wind energy development) in these two areas will be achieved.”

It also said a National Land Use Plan for Peatlands is long awaited and also noted the need to balance renewable energy with biodiversity concerns.

“The country is facing a biodiversity crisis, with many native species and habitats under increasing pressure from land-use change, climate change, and habitat degradation; however, peatlands play a vital role in addressing this challenge for example by supporting unique wildlife, storing carbon, improving water quality, and helping to restore ecological balance across the country,” it said.

In a submission on the proposed variation, ESB said it supported for the 'Peatland and Nature Corridors' amendments, noting them as “an important mechanism to protect sensitive ecological systems, enhance biodiversity, and strengthen landscape connectivity”.

ESB added that peatlands also have the potential to “present opportunities to accommodate carefully designed renewable energy infrastructure.”.

It said the planning framework should, therefore, retain a degree of flexibility to enable renewable energy development within such areas and noted that the “does not preclude development within ‘Peatland and Nature Corridors’, but requires that it be carefully assessed …”

It noted, in particular, an ongoing partnership with BNM which seeks to progress a solar development at Blackwater Bog near Shannonbridge, which is located inside one of the proposed 'Peatland and Nature Corridors'.

“Solar energy development is generally low impact and reversible in nature,” the submission read, adding “the development concept includes the integration of renewable energy infrastructure with habitat restoration objectives”.

“ESB respectfully requests that Offaly County Council apply a balanced and evidence-based approach within 'Peatland and Nature Corridors', ensuring proposals are assessed on their merits having regard to environmental and cumulative effects, and are not unduly constrained where they support climate action and sustainable land management”.

Offaly County Council also displayed a strong response to observations made by the Office of the Planning Regulator (OPR) which asked it to provide an “evidence-led justification” for the proposed amendments.

The council listed a total of nine wind energy developments which have been built in Offaly to date, with a combined maximum output of 528.25MW, already exceeding the targets set out in the County Development Plan 2021 to 2027 by over 11%.

It noted that permissions for other windfarms, including at Cush near Birr and Riverlyons near Daingean, would lead to the county's targets being even further exceeded.

“Offaly was the number one renewable energy producing county in Ireland for four out of the six months [in 2026] (January, March, May, and June). The county's plan-led policy has delivered this from a zero base in 2009,” the response read.

Furthermore, it was highlighted that solar targets are estimated to be exceeded by 24% through the developments currently operational or under construction.

In addition, battery storage targets will be exceeded by circa 33%.

The council noted that the proposed 'Peatland and Nature Corridors' would be delivered in tandem with renewable energy targets, with a view to achieving a “reasonable balance” between renewables and “all other functions that the local authority must oversee”.

The response concluded that Offaly's wind energy pipeline represents circa 11% of the target for the entire country under the 2025 Climate Action Plan, as well as circa 14% for solar energy, despite Offaly only representing 2.3% of Ireland's landmass.

“Offaly stands proud of its heritage as an energy generating county,” the report said, “however it must not be asked or required to host an excessive share of such development in the context of the national picture.”

The council did not make any amendment to the proposed Peatlands and Nature Corridors variation following the submissions.