What would have been Cork’s largest wind farm was refused planning permission today, following a two-year campaign by members of the local community.

If successful, seven wind turbines at 178.5m tall each would have been erected in the Shehy Mountains in West Cork for €30m.

Planning was first submitted in 2022 and was originally refused by Cork County Council before being accepted on appeal by An Bord Pleanála.

A local campaign gained 10,000 signatures against the development of the wind farm and brought a judicial review against it to the High Court – before a final application was rejected by An Bord Pleanála today.

On The Hard Shoulder today, Gougane Barra Hotel owner Neil Lucey said it was a “David versus Goliath situation – and David won”.

“There is great relief and pressure gone from this area, it’s fantastic news,” he said.

“It’s a very scenic area, they would have been on the southern rim up here on the mountain sloping down towards the Bantry side.

“It’s a valley location and you’ve got that famous St. Finbarr's Oratory, it’s part of a tourist route and it’s the scenery of West Cork at its best.”

Wind turbines in Kilgarvan, Kerry. Image: David Creedon / Alamy

Mr Lucey said the scale of the project was a real issue.

“When you consider 178m, you’re talking about one of the tallest structures in Ireland,” he said.

“Then you’d be putting that on the ground, that’s over 500m over sea level and all of a sudden you have something really huge.”

Wind

Mr Lucey said there are already other windfarms in the area that cause problems for people.

“At nighttime, in the village of Ballingeary, there is a sea of red lights all around it,” he said

“Then there’s the other impacts, like on the flora and fauna, the flicker and everything else with it

“This would have been right on top of the mountain and would have been visual for miles and miles around.”

Wind generated 36% of all electricity used in Ireland last year.

You can listen back here:

Main image: An aerial view of Gougane Barra island, County Cork. Image: RooM the Agency / Alamy Stock Photo