ABP gives green light to plans for major solar farm development on site overlooking Cork harbour 

An Bord Pleanála has granted planning permission, subject to conditions, to a major solar farm development proposed for a 126-hectare site in Rathcoursey overlooking Cork Harbour after the application was initially rejected by Cork County Council for contravening the green belt around Metropolitan Cork.

A proposal to develop an electricity substation at the site was also approved by the planning appeals board.

The proposal was initially made by a company called Rathcoursey Solar Farm Limited and was rejected in August of last year by Cork County Council. 

This application made in June 2023 led to a large number of submissions and objections by local residents across eight townlands in the vicinity. 

The development is now being proposed in the name of Ørsted, the Danish company with its Irish headquarters in Cork.

The 10-year planning permission granted by An Bord Pleanála includes approval for a total area of 126 hectares, comprising of solar panels on ground-mounted frames with a surface area of around 532,000m. It also comprises of 21 single-storey electrical inverter/transformer stations, five single-storey energy-storage modules, three spare parts containers, 12 ring main units, five weather stations, underground electrical ducting, and cabling within the land.

Council decision 

In its reasoning, the council said the subject site forms part of the Metropolitan Cork Greenbelt lands designated as a prominent and strategic greenbelt and high-value landscape, adjacent to the Cork Harbour area, which is also identified as very high landscape value, a sensitive site and of national importance.

Furthermore, the council said the site for the proposed development borders a designated scenic route and, given the designations of the lands, the local authority said it considered that the introduction of an energy development and associated infrastructure of the scale proposed on “elevated and visually prominent strategic Greenbelt lands, with a substantial spatial extent, representing a land loss of 126 hectares of agricultural land, would be contrary to policy objective RP 5-13 of the Cork County Development Plan (2022)”.

An Bord Pleanála published its decision, taken in early August, on its website this week. 

According to the decision, as long as the conditions were adhered to, the proposed development “would support national and regional renewable energy policy objectives, would be consistent with the Cork County Development Plan, and would not seriously injure the visual or residential amenities of the area or otherwise of property in the vicinity or have an unacceptable impact on the character of the landscape or on cultural or archaeological heritage, would not be likely to have significant effects on the environment or ecology of the area, would be acceptable in terms of traffic safety, public health, and would make a positive contribution to Ireland’s renewable energy requirements.”

There are 17 conditions which must be adhered to by the project developers, according to the An Bord Pleanála decision. 

These include that noise levels should not exceed 55 decibels between the hours of 8am to 10pm Monday to Saturday inclusive, and 45 decibels at any other time. A protocol for noise monitoring must also be agreed between the developer and the planning authority.

Local objections 

Jamesbrook resident Martin Brennan, who objects to the proposal, told The Echo that he was in favour of solar energy and also supported “planning being fair”.

“What I can’t understand is that Cork County Council themselves have already suggested that this plan was against their own strategic plan and yet An Bord Pleanála feel that it’s in keeping with their [the Council’s] strategic plan.”

He cited several reasons for the objections including the impact the development would have on the visual amenity of the site, its impact on what he described as prime agricultural land, as well as pointing to a study the residents had commissioned about the noise levels the building of the development would create. He also said that he and others felt the consultation process in advance of the planning permission being sought had not been adequate and far from “extensive” as cited in the application.

He said that he and others would be gathering for a public meeting shortly to discuss the next steps in their campaign.

“There’s something fundamentally wrong when a group of residents have heartfelt concerns and if they don’t have a hundred grand they can’t make those concerns heard, particularly after those concerns are upheld by the County Council,” he said.

“If An Bord Pleanála read the notes and knew all of these points, then why did they fly in the face of them all if not because of blind adherence to Government policy? A lot of civil-minded residents objected to this development, why are their points not being heard and refuted if they are incorrect?”

In a statement in response to a query from The Echo, an Ørsted spokesperson said: “We are glad to have a decision from An Bord Pleanála.

“We look forward to considering the next steps for the project.”