Emergency meeting in Durrow over 'mega' wind farm
A section of the demonstration at Tae Lane in Durrow on Monday 4 August. Photo: Pat Farrell
AN emergency public meeting will be held in Durrow this Thursday, as part of a growing campaign against a proposed wind farm development.
The meeting follows a strong protest in the town on bank holiday Monday, organised by the NoToSeskinWindFarm group.
The emergency meeting at 8pm in The Castle Arms Hotel on 7 August will provide a forum for residents, businesses and other stakeholders to discuss the proposal and its potential consequences for the area.
Durrow and Ballinaslee residents turned out in large numbers on 4 August to demonstrate opposition to a proposed wind farm development, which the group says would involve the installation of ‘mega’ offshore-scale turbines across the scenic midlands landscape.
The protest aimed to demonstrate visually the scale and potential disruption of the project. Five articulated lorries and trailers, matching the projected size and scale of turbine components, travelled through the area to simulate how the turbines would be transported.
One turbine blade and its transporter would span more than 82 metres in length, according to the group.
In Durrow, locals gathered on Tae Lane, where the convoy paused to highlight the impact such development would have on a historic part of the town.
According to the group, the planning application would require the removal of native trees and the dismantling of the local pump to facilitate turbine transport, effectively transforming the area into a construction site for an extended period.
Residents also raised serious concerns about the safety and practicality of transporting and hoisting multi-ton turbine blades over homes along Mary Street and Carrigan Street.
The demonstration continued to Ballinaslee, located near the N77 national route, which serves as the main access point for the proposed site, situated just 2km from Durrow.
The deadline for submissions to both Laois and Kilkenny county councils is 4pm on Tuesday 12 August and hard copy submissions will be available at the meeting.
