New Offaly group formed to fight proposed Wind Farm

A NEW group in Birr has been formed to fight the proposed development of a Wind Farm south of the town.
A gathering of concerned locals attended a public meeting on Monday evening in Ballyegan Hall to discuss the plan to build Ballincor Wind Farm adjacent to Sharavogue Bog, a Special Area of Conservation.
The group is calling itself "The Greater Birr Wind Action Group" and it was pointed out during Monday's meeting that “Birr town is being surrounded by turbines even though the area is not designated for wind power by Offaly County Council.”
A spokesperson for the group pointed out that Birr, long celebrated as a Georgian gem at the heart of Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands, is now under unprecedented pressure from large-scale Wind Farm expansion. He said that in recent years the area has become a focal point for international wind developers, with seven wind farms totalling 72 industrial turbines already granted or operating around the town.
Since 2021 alone, Derrinlough (21 turbines), Cush (8 turbines), and Carrig (7 turbines) have secured permission, and now, in late 2025, residents have learned of a new proposal for 11 mega-turbines (up to 185 metres) in the Ballincor–Corolanty– Sharavogue landscape.
“Driven by climate-target goals and investor profits,” the spokesperson said, “multinational developers are increasingly turning to Offaly’s boglands, including areas close to Special Areas of Conservation, highly sensitive landscapes and locations explicitly designated as unsuitable for wind farm development. Even when County Councils or An Coimisiún Pleanála refuse permission, these corporations frequently escalate to the High Court, using their vast financial power to push projects through against strong local and expert planning opposition.”
The meeting was told that the situation has become so serious that, in July 2025, both the State and An Coimisiún Pleanála were compelled to bring a landmark case to the Supreme Court to defend the core principle of sustainable planning against aggressive legal challenges from wind farm developers.
The meeting was told that all of this should be considered in the context of the “grossly outdated” 2006 Wind Energy Guidelines. “A new, evidence based version was drafted in 2019 but never enacted, which means that communities must navigate proposed developments in 2025 under planning rules written nearly twenty years ago.”
A spokesperson told the Tribune that in his opinion Birr now stands on the frontline of this national battle, “and the looming Ballincor-Corolanty–Sharavogue proposal (RWE is the Developer) is the fight our entire community must now take on. If this project is allowed, it won’t be the last — it will be the beginning. One approval becomes justification for the next, and soon the entire area will be treated as open season for more industrial turbines. This is our last chance to stop that tide.”
The Ballyegan meeting outlined a number of reasons why people should care.
Firstly, national policy requires Offaly to designate wind energy zones. After extensive expert assessment by Offaly County Council the Sharavogue area was classified as being not suitable for turbines. “Yet developers now propose 11 mega turbines in defiance of the county’s own planning evidence. An Coimisiún Pleanála itself argued to the Supreme Court that planning must still be grounded in 'proper planning and sustainable development' which includes respecting the local development plan. To add insult to injury the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment opened a Public Consultation on National Territory Mapping for Renewable Electricity in September 2025 despite the fact that all current designated zones are being ignored."
A second reason why people should care is that this development is less than 100 metres from the River Brosna SPA (Special Protection Area) and Sharavogue Bog SAC — home to heavily protected bats, otters, whooper swans, geese, merlin, curlew and hen harriers amongst others. EU law gives these species strict protection: their habitats cannot be disturbed, and any threat demands the highest ecological scrutiny. “Planning authorities,” the Ballyegan meeting was told, “must remove all scientific doubt before any permission is given. Windfarm developers cannot protect these species but will argue that mitigation might work. No independent or verifiable oversight is engaged in the process.”
A third reason is that Birr Castle Demesne was officially added to Ireland’s UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List in April 2025. This means the State recognises Birr as possessing internationally significant heritage value, scientific value, landscape quality and visual integrity worthy of future World Heritage status. “UNESCO Tentative List sites,” the meeting was told, "must be protected from developments that could compromise their integrity, setting, landscape, character, dark-sky conditions or cultural value. The I-LOFAR radio telescope requires a Radio Quiet Zone (RQZ) or buffer zone extending several kilometres from the site where developments must be screened for interference. This is an EU standard requirement.”
A fourth reason is the effect of increased transport and the impact on the roads infrastructure. “An 11-turbine wind farm brings an enormous transport burden,” it was pointed out in Ballyegan Hall, “where there will be thousands of heavy goods vehicle (HGV) movements hauling stone, concrete, turbine components, crane parts and cabling in and out of the site. Construction typically requires tens of thousands of tonnes of material. Estimates suggest up to 350,000 tonnes of material imported up to the site and excavated/moved on or off the site over the full construction period, meaning months of continuous HGV traffic on rural roads never designed for such loads. This leads to road damage, congestion, safety risks for residents, school buses and farm vehicles. Communities sharing their experience suggest a HGV every 90 seconds during the 18 to 24 month construction phase. This does not include the construction of a Grid connection which will involve extensive underground cabling running from Sharavogue to Dallow Substation, over 15 kilometres away.”
The River Brosna is a flood-prone corridor, is a 5th reason and “any major construction beside this river — including access roads, hardstands, turbine bases or grid infrastructure — risks disrupting natural drainage, accelerating runoff, and increasing downstream flood risk.”
A sixth reason is the landscape and visual impact. “This is a landscape officially classified as having high scenic sensitivity meaning it cannot absorb large industrial structures without significant harm. Turbines of 185 metres height dominate the skyline, and the visual impact from this proposal would extend well beyond a 5–8 km zone affecting homes, heritage views, walking routes, and the wider Birr countryside. In a setting valued for its open boglands, rolling farmland and unspoilt horizon lines, the intrusion of eleven mega turbines would fundamentally alter the character of the landscape, replacing a rural environment with an industrial one — a permanent and unacceptable visual transformation."
A seventh reason is that many wind farms are developed by multinational or state-owned companies “with deep financial resources and global investment strategies but no long-term connection to our landscape, our heritage or our communities. Their priority is securing profitable generation assets; our priority is protecting the place we live. The imbalance between global developers and a small rural community makes it even more important that local voices are informed, organised and heard. There is a cumulative effect – we will wake up some morning in five years' time surrounded by mega turbines.”
A spokesperson for The Greater Birr Wind Action Group told the Tribune after the meeting that the residents in Carrig raised similar concerns against a 7-turbine proposal in their area, also near Birr. Tipperary County Council refused permission for the Carrig wind farm, but An Coimisiún Pleanála overruled them and granted permission. “That case is currently under Judicial Review. The system is broken. An Coimisiún Pleanála, operating with 20 year old guidelines in a complex legal battleground, has found itself now seeking a Supreme Court judgement to protect its own right to determine planning outcomes in wind farm cases. Developers rely on speed and silence. They move quickly, keep communities in the dark, and hope we won’t organise in time. We need to move fast and we need help.”

READ NEXT: Another 11 giant turbines planned for South Offaly