Sinn Féin Councillor Conor D. McGuinness has said that An Bord Pleanála must respect local democracy and uphold the Development Plan made by Waterford City and County Council last year, including the Wind Energy Strategy section which determines what parts of the county are excluded for wind farm development.
McGuinness said:
“An Bord Pleanála must respect local democracy and the right of Waterford’s local representatives to set planning policy for the county. It must uphold our brand new Development Plan in all its parts, including the Wind Energy Strategy section, which clearly marks which areas are out of bounds for wind farm development.
“The Waterford City and County Development Plan 2022-2028 was adopted last year with the unanimous support of councillors from all parties and none. It took two years to make and involved multiple rounds of public consultation. It was signed off by both the Planning Regulator and the Minister.
“It would be an outrage if An Bord Pleanála was to ignore or undermine the provisions of Waterford’s development plan.
“While its anyone’s guess why any developer might apply for permission to build wind farms in areas that are clearly and categorically marked out of bounds for this type of development, it is the obligation of An Bord Pleanála to ensure that the tenets of our development plan are upheld in deciding on any application that comes their way.”
“I will be doing all in my power to ensure that An Bord Pleanála, despite its recent controversies, does the right thing and respects local democracy.
ENDS
Conor D. McGuinness TD 