Jimmy Harte (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State. This is a subject that causes raised eyebrows throughout the country, no more so than in Donegal where, from my experience as a councillor over the years, there is something of a negative view towards the development of wind energy.

There seemed to an attitude in the east of Donegal, although it was not such an issue for the west of the county because we had the tourism factor there. Everyone recognises the vast potential for wind energy in a county like Donegal. However, the situation is similar to that concerning the mobile phone masts. The biggest issue in that regard was that communities were not consulted and, therefore, they felt that something was going on in the background, whether between the council and developers or between certain individuals who had inside knowledge. While this was not correct much of the time, it was a factor.

In one case, three years ago, a mobile phone mast was being erected near a school in Ramelton and the community was totally opposed to it. To be fair, the company involved met and sat down with local people, and agreed to look for another site outside the town. As a result, the issue of the mobile phone mast died overnight. Legally, the company could have pushed the mast on the area, and it had all the background information to allay health fears, but it felt the community had to be consulted as they were the people who would have to live there for the rest of their days.

There is a psychological issue in having a turbine close by and visible in an area where people expect to see just hills or mountains. Even if there is no health evidence, it is like the situation where a decommissioned ESB pole is hanging over a house, in that the fact it is there causes a difficulty. The county councils and companies must consider this issue.

I urge that Senator Kelly’s Bill be pushed forward by the Government sooner rather than later. This all comes down to local communities getting a say and ensuring that fears are allayed. There are parts of Donegal where no one is living for miles, and there may be a case for turbines to be located in such areas. I am a supporter of alternative energy and believe everybody has a positive view of it. However, this should not be to the detriment of the tourism industry and local communities. I know 99.9% of a local community will work with those who want to develop wind turbines or mobile phone masts. While I do not know how county councils are being directed at this stage, Senator Kelly's Bill is a good template the councils could use. Nonetheless, the local people are as important as the planning office. My experience is that, at times, some planners have a different attitude from other planners, and difficulties have arisen where a planner was determined to push ahead with a project against the wishes of the community. This is where the whole thing falls down. We should be cautious with all our legislation.