Lemanaghan wind farm opponents described as "small group"

Opposition to plans for the construction of a wind farm on the historic landscape of Lemanaghan bog in West Offaly is coming from a "small group" according to documents lodged with An Coimisiún Pleanála as part of a pre-application consultation process between the proposers of the project and the State planning board.

Lemanaghan Bog Heritage and Conservation Group has spearheaded a vigorous campaign of opposition to plans for the construction of the wind farm by Bord na Móna and SSE Renewables, and have received strong backing from the local community and also from a number of elected representatives.

The meeting at which the remarks were made about opposition to the project took place in January 2025, and was one of three such meetings to take place between the State planning board and the proposers of the project over a five year period prior to the decision of the Board to designate the project as strategic infrastructure development.

The designation of strategic infrastructure allows the proposed development to bypass the Offaly County Council planning authority and proceed directly to An Coimisiún Pleanála.

In response to queries from An Coimisiún Pleanála at that January 2025 about public consultation, the prospective applicants described the feedback to date as being “neutral” but mentioned the presence of “a small opposition group” whose concerns relate to “local heritage on the proposed site.” They said these concerns would be addressed in the Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR). The meeting was also told of queries in relation to local amenities and benefits that would be provided, alongside questions about shadow flicker, number of turbines and visual impact.

Documentation from the meetings – which took place in September 2021 and again in January and December 2025 – also reveal that the closest dwelling to the proposed site is 896 metres away and the total area of the site is approximately 1,200 hectares. A brief overview of the project given to the first meeting of 2025 stated that the planning being sought would include a 220 kilovolt onsite substation and 15 turbines with a tip height of 220 metres, blade length of 75 metres and hub height of 145 metres.

At the final pre-consulation meeting of 2025 - in December - a number of issues were addressed including the need for the lifespan of the proposed development to be clearly articulated and for information on the Community Fund proposed to be set out in the EIAR.

Also discussed at that meeting were traffic and cultural heritage. In relation to the former, it was stated that no new entrances have been proposed for the site, and that, of the three quarries identified to facilitate the proposed development, the “most appropriate quarries” will be utilised.

On the issue of cultural heritage, the meeting was told that “some monuments have been removed” and a list of those that remain on site is available. Testing was conducted at 62 trial pits,, with “no findings recorded” according to the documentation, which also stated that an onsite archaeologist is proposed for the construction phase and that cultural heritage constraints are to “be avoided” and it is envisaged that the railway lines on the site will be removed.

Lemanaghan Bog is "widely recognised as a landscape of exceptional heritage, archaeological, and cultural importance" according to the local heritage and conservation group, which also points out that the historic monastic site at Lemanaghan and surrounding boglands form "an integral part of Ireland’s cultural heritage" where significant archaeological discoveries have been made over many years.

Members of the group have staged a number of peaceful protests outside public consultation events relating to the Lemanaghan Wind Farm project.