Bunclody Community Council presentation on Wind Farms, from a public meeting on 10th July 2012.

1. Wexford Wind
Energy Strategy
Implications for Bunclody

2. Overview
 Planned and zoned areas for wind
farms around Bunclody
 Key issues with wind turbines
 Key issues for Bunclody
 Elements of Draft CDP of concern

3. Bunclody Wind Farms
 Since 2006 planning permission has been
granted for 13 wind farms in Co. Wexford
 10 of these wind farms are located within 5 miles
of Bunclody
 2 wind farms have been granted planning
permission in Co. Carlow
 1 of these is located within 5 miles of Bunclody
 That‟s 50 wind turbines in total within 5 miles of
Bunclody

4. Wexford
Wind Farms
• 1 East Wexford
• 2 South Wexford
• 10 North Wexford
• West zoned in
CDP 2013-2019

5. Bunclody Wind Farms
 Only 3 of the 11 wind farms granted
planning permission near Bunclody have
been constructed
 All of these 3 wind farms are at least 4 miles
from the town
 3 permitted wind farms are
located between 1 and 2 miles
from the town

7. Planned and Existing Wind Farms
North Wexford

8. Wind Farm Zoning
Carlow and Wicklow
 Both Carlow and Wicklow have also zoned
areas on the North Wexford border as open
for consideration for wind farms.
 Developments in these zones will also
impact visually on Bunclody and
surrounding areas
 The cumulative impact on Habitats and
Birds in the area will also be considerable

9. Carlow and Wicklow
Areas open for Wind Farms

10. County Carlow Wind Farm Zones

11. Key Issues for Residents
within 1 Mile of Wind Turbines
 Visual impact is significant
 Permitted night noise of 43 Decibels is double
the level which the World Health Organisation
stated in 2009 causes sleep disturbance and, as
a result, damage to health
 Amplitude modulation including “thump and
swish” is an issue, particularly in downwind
conditions
 Low Frequency sounds: even though the wind
farm industry says there is no problem, some
countries, including Denmark, have introduced
regulations to limit them
 Shadow flicker: like strobe lighting inside a
house – long-term health effects not yet clear

12. UK Davis Case (2011)
Health and Property Value Claim
 Davis v Tinsley, Watts, Fenland Windfarms
Ltd, EDF Energy plc and Fenland Green
Power Co-op Ltd (2011)
 Couple‟s farm 1 km from turbine
 Compensation claim against landowner and
wind farm developer for:
– damage to couple‟s health
– reduction in market value of their house
 Case settled:
– Confidentiality clause on total amount
– house bought by developer

13. Phil and Catherine Hickey
Ballylusk
Ballindaggin

14. Our Story
 What happened in the
planning process
 What it‟s like to live near
turbines
 What we‟re trying to achieve
at this stage

15. The Planning Process
 First planning application for wind farm refused in
October 2006
 New application in January 2007; objections made in
February 2007: not accepted by Wexford County Council
as deemed one day too late
 Planning permission granted at the end of February 2007.
 Significant changes by developers to permission:
– Road access changes
– Turbine now 360 metres from our home, without our
consent
– Misrepresentations in the EIS
 Even after further objections, the Council granted
retention permission to the developer

16. What It’s Like to Live Near
Turbines
• A turbine is located 360 metres from our
home
• Regular noise from the turbines: inside
and outside our home
• Visual damage to our home: 4 turbines
are visible from our kitchen table
• Shadow flicker from November to
February at various times in the morning
• Sleep disruption
• Stress and ill-health: physical and mental
• Financial loss: our home is our only
asset

17. View from Our Garden

18. View from Our Back
Ground Level

19. View From Our Back
Second Level

20. View from Our Kitchen

21. View From Our Sunroom

22. What we’re trying to achieve
 Correcting the damage to our health
 Correcting the damage to our home‟s value
 Independent review of how permission was
granted for this wind farm
 Independent review of how other wind farms
were granted permission in “areas not
generally allowed”, including how the
accuracy and quality of EISs are assessed
 Your support and submissions to the
Council

23. Key Issues for Bunclody
 No public consultation – in breach of EU Law
 Cumulative noise impact has not been assessed and is in
breach of WHO 2009 recommendation
 Cumulative visual impact will be considerable
 No assessment of cumulative impact on Habitats and Birds
in breach of both EU Directives
 UK survey by Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors
showed that property values decreased at 60% of
properties from where a turbine was visible
 In terms of the Draft CDP 2013-2019:
– No designation of „Landscapes of Greater Sensitivity‟ in this area
– Policy of clustering and extending wind farms may have significant
negative impact
– Route for infrastructure (400Kv overhead lines) not yet decided, but
may locate close to wind farm developments

24. Draft CDP 2013-2019
Issues of concern include:
 Stated policy preference is a combination of locating
wind farms where wind resources and infrastructure
exist and clustering wind farms in certain locations to
minimize impact on rest of the county
 “Special cognisance” has been given to private
developers, the ESB and Eirgrid in terms of their
investments.
 No “special cognisance” of impact on local areas or
residential health and amenity
 No areas in the North of the county have been
designated as „Landscape of Greater Sensitivity
 No changes to the Development Management
Standards for wind farms – distance from dwellings,
and noise

26. Infrastructure for Wind Farms
 Eirgrid have launched their Project 25
consultation regarding proposed
route for 400Kv Pylons
 Bunclody Community Council have
submitted feedback on proposed
route objecting to its location close
to Bunclody on the following
grounds:
– Health
– Constraints of SPCs
– Impact on the Heritage of the area
– Impact on tourism and areas of special
scenic beauty

27. Eirgrid 25 Study Area Map