Michael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I have been sent a copy of a letter that the Minister of State, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, sent to Westmeath County Council on 15 February last. Basically, the letter informs the council that a democratic decision made by councillors will be overruled. The vote in question relates to the locations and set-back distances for wind turbine developments in the county development plan. The councillors voted that industrial wind turbines should be strictly limited to cut-over or cut-away bogs. They agreed on a set-back distance from occupied dwellings of ten times the height of the turbine. The letter that was sent by the Minister of State, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, basically tells the members of the council that the democratic decision they took was not in line with national policy, as set out in the Planning and Development Act. Perhaps I am naive, but I believed this Government's promise of a so-called democratic revolution when it first came to power. So far, it has delivered an all-out attack on local government and local democracy. That has been my experience.

I do not need to remind the Minister of State that the wind turbine issue is a very controversial topic, not least in the midlands area. It has been proposed that industrial wind turbines will generate large volumes of energy to be exported to Britain. Sinn Féin will soon introduce legislation to provide for minimum set-back distances for wind turbine development.

I ask the Minister of State to take heed of local concerns over wind turbine projects. The local people are better able to identify whether an area is suitable for such developments than somebody sitting in the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, who does not know the lie of the land. Local people know local areas best.

I am concerned over the letter the Minister of State sent. It looks like the Government is trying to steamroll through these developments without paying heed to local democracy through the votes of those who represent the concerns of local residents. It is not acceptable in a modern democracy. It is not just bad planning policy. It is bad policy, full stop. I ask the Minister of State to change her mind on her decision to block the democratic voices of Westmeath County Council. I believe all parties were represented in this vote. I ask her to respect the wishes of the people of Westmeath and the people of Ireland because it is time for a total rethink of our national energy strategy.

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