TOM Quirke, Michael Healy, Pat Hansberry, Peter Greaney and Michael Hughes walk the stretch of the R332 at Lissavalley on the outskirts of Barnaderg where a commercial windfarm development is planned. Photo: Ray Ryan

LET’S STICK TOGETHER

Communities urged to inform themselves about Barnaderg-Moylough wind farm

PUBLIC meetings will be held in Barnaderg and Moylough next week to alert communities to a proposed wind farm development that local people say will divide the parish in two.

The Cooloo Windfarm proposes nine turbines, 185m tall, along a 10km stretch of land on which a service road will be built to facilitate the development.

Neoen Energy is due to submit a planning application for their development in the coming weeks, and an information session was held by consultants acting on behalf of the company in Barnaderg and Moylough at the end of January.

However, campaigners have formed an action group to oppose the development, which they say will affect between 450 and 500 houses.

Tom Quirke said there were a lot of concerns surrounding the Cooloo Windfarm, chief among them being that it would be the sole entrance point for several other wind farms planned in north Galway.

“I live in Lissavalley and my house is 200m from the entrance of this planned development, with the nearest turbine earmarked for 1.6km away,” he said.

“From what we can see on the maps, this wind farm will extend from Horse Leap Cross to Cloondahamper Cross, as the crow flies, and it will split the area in two.

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