The communities of the Maughanaclea Hills – including the rural lands of Kealkill, Coomclogh, Cousane and the Mealagh Valley and their neighbours in Gortloughra – have come together to launch a ‘Stop the Spin’ campaign in opposition to a proposed industrial scale wind farm by wind energy giant Enerco, with plans at the pre-application stage with An Coimisiún Pleanála.
The proposal is on an industrial scale with the construction of at least 14 or more massive wind turbines on the unspoilt hillsides near Bantry. Each turbine would reach 169 metres (554 ft.) into the West Cork skies, standing two-and-a-half times taller than Cork’s Elysian building.
Gortloughra is facing a similar onslaught from developers with plans for a wind farm development on Shehy Beg. Earlier this year, Cork County Council refused permission for the wind farm with planned turbine heights of 175 metres (approx 574 feet). That project, backed by Statkraft, a Norwegian state-owned energy company, is now under appeal with An Coimisiún Pleanála.
Noelle Aller Ontalba, spokesperson for ‘Stop The Spin’ campaign says: “The Gortloughra appeal documents were made available by Cork County Council on June 26, with a closing date of July 7, 2025 for appeal submissions, which was a very short window for us to study and submit appeal letters. Several of our community on The Maughanaclea Hills wrote original submissions to Cork County Council demonstrating support for our neighbouring lands and our passion to protect West Cork’s wild and precious rural areas. We then wrote appeal submissions to An Coimisiún Pleanála and urged them to follow the reasoning laid out by Cork County Council, who refused planning permission for Gortloughra wind farm earlier this year. We, and our Gortloughra neighbours, await the Board’s decision.”
She adds: “Large-scale wind turbines are still being constructed under outdated 2006 Wind Energy Development Guidelines. They remain the primary legal framework for assessing onshore wind farm proposals, despite being nearly two decades old. While the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has produced multiple draft revisions between 2013 and 2024, none have been formally adopted or enacted into law. Micheál Martin, Corkman and our current Taoiseach, raised concerns in the Dáil Leader’s Questions as far back as 2013. He stated: ‘There is a fundamental absence of transparency governing these developments. There is an absence of consultation with local residents and communities. Above all, there is an absence of a legislative framework to deal with the step change in technology and scale of development. Since the wind farms are being located close to residential areas, the health implications are causing concern to residents in terms of noise, shadow flicker, the destruction of amenities, particularly residential amenities, the negative visual impact, etc…’”
Noelle continues: “These outdated guidelines fail to account for the massive increase in turbine size, noise output, shadow flicker and landscape dominance that have occurred over the past 20
years. The 2006 rules contain no prescribed setback distances, no upper height limit and only vague reference to cumulative visual or environmental impact, leaving rural communities exposed to disproportionate and aggressive wind farm expansion. Under these obsolete standards, developers such as Enerco continue to exploit legal loopholes and a permissive policy environment to push through large-scale projects in areas of high scenic and natural beauty.”
“While this community supports renewable energy, we reject destruction disguised as progress. The Maughanaclea uplands are home to many protected wildlife species – birds, bats, amphibians, insects and mammals. The community’s goal is to safeguard the fragile ecosystems of these ancient hills. The destruction of peatlands, archaeological sites and the visual harmony of this landscape will be irreversible. West Cork’s tourism industry is built on its unspoilt landscapes, panoramic beauty, heritage, hillwalking trails, eco-accommodation and a sense of peace and tranquility – qualities now under threat.”
According to local West Cork archeologist Tony Miller, “The Shehy Mountains, Mealagh and Maughanaclea areas are well known for the concentration of prehistoric monuments found in the landscape. These include wedge tombs and an important cluster of bronze age stone circles. Amongst these is the Kealkill circle complex, one of the finest in the area”. Kealkill is one of the rural lands targeted by the Enerco development.
“Enerco’s plan would see forests and hedgerows razed and massive concrete foundations laid across our rural lands,” says Noelle. “The scars left by turbines, substations, haul roads and underground cables would be permanent plus each turbine constructed by Enerco would have rotor blades spanning approximately four acres. Their intention is to lodge their proposal with An Coimisiun Pleanála as a Strategic Infrastructure Development (SID) by-passing Cork County Council”.
“The community of Maughanaclea Hills and the rural lands of Kealkill, Coomclogh, Cousane and the Mealagh Valley are doing their best to create awareness for these outdated guidelines and encourage the Government to enact laws to address these large-scale developments, which were never envisaged back in 2006. Communities across Ireland are bearing the brunt of a planning system outpaced by technology, with no statutory protections in place to reflect the real-world scale and impact of contemporary wind farms. Ireland’s outdated 2006 Wind Energy Development Guidelines remain the primary legal framework for onshore wind farms in 2025”.
The ‘Stop the Spin’ group is appealing to the public to raise the issue of Enerco’s proposed industrial-scale wind farm with their local TDs and County Councillors, asking them to speak up and take action against destruction of our lands by profit driven developers. Communities can make formal submissions (objections) to An Coimisiún Pleanála when Enerco’s formal application is lodged in August/September, 2025. Full information on www.stopthespin.ie or call Noelle Aller Ontalba on 086 806 7474 if you need help in making a submission.
