Environmental protection group welcomes Offaly County Council's stance on Wind Farm problems

AN environmental protection group has welcomed the Council's position on Wind Farm problems.
The Community Environmental Protection Alliance, CEPA, in a statement to The Midland Tribune, praised the strong cross-party support shown recently by elected members of Offaly County Council to ensure that all complaints relating to wind turbine noise and shadow flicker are formally forwarded to the HSE.
“This decision,” commented Brenda Dowling of the group, “marks a significant and long-overdue recognition that noise and shadow flicker from industrial-scale wind developments are not minor nuisances, but issues with potentially serious public health implications.”
Ms Dowling said environmental noise is widely recognised as a factor that can adversely impact both physical and mental wellbeing. “Statutory noise limits exist for this reason,” she remarked, “and complaints raised by residents must be assessed by appropriately qualified public health professionals. The HSE has been highlighting the health implications of wind turbine noise for some time, and we are delighted to see Offaly councillors take action to ensure that HSE Public Health is formally informed. It is essential that the Council now engages fully with the Public Health Service to properly address these issues.”
Ms Dowling said CEPA is deeply concerned for the Stonestown community, Cloghan, “who have endured years of disruption.” She pointed out that with the rapid expansion of wind energy development in Offaly, many more communities may find themselves similarly affected unless robust procedures are followed.
The Council's decision that all complaints relating to wind turbine noise and shadow flicker will be formally forwarded to the HSE aligns, Ms Dowling said, with the HSE’s statutory responsibility under public health legislation to be informed of, and investigate, all influences that may threaten public health.
This forwarding of complaints to the HSE by the Council “also supports the wider objective of ensuring that wind farm neighbours are afforded due process when making complaints—covering the full pathway from initial reporting, through investigation, and, where necessary, enforcement.” She pointed out that the complaints of people in the neighbourhood of wind farms had been ignored for a period of two years. “However, the Council has now engaged with complainants and initiated an investigation.
“To ensure transparency and rebuild public trust, CEPA will formally request monthly statistics on the number of noise and shadow flicker complaints received by Offaly County Council and forwarded to the HSE.
“CEPA will continue to stand with wind farm neighbours in Offaly and across the country, advocating for evidence-based decision-making, meaningful enforcement of planning conditions, and a public health–first approach to energy infrastructure.”

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