Planning bid for controversial local wind farm due next year
A planning application for a controversial wind farm being planned in South Roscommon could be lodged by the end of next year.
BnM and SSE Renewables are behind plans for a seven-turbine project, to be known as Cornafulla Wind Farm.
A draft layout for the project has been published in recent days showing the turbines, each with a maximum blade tip height of 200 metres. However, the developers have said this could be increased to 220 metres.
The wind turbines are proposed to be sited between Drumlosh, Cornafulla and Clonown.
Public consultation sessions were held in late 2025, and the project has already sparked strong opposition due to the sensitive ecological nature of the Shannon Callows, which adjoins the bog site, and the biodiversity of the area.
The members of the Athlone Municipal District of Roscommon County Council last year called on planners, including An Coimisiún Pleanála, to fully recognise what they describe as the “sensitivities of the area”. They warned that the development “is not in keeping with the County Development Plan and its associated strategies.”
The proximity of the project to the monastic settlement at Clonmacnoise, which is located directly across the River Shannon from the proposed site, has also been highlighted. The developers say the nearest turbine is approximately 2.2 kilometres from Clonmacnoise.
Offaly TD Carol Nolan has said: “This proposal raises profound questions about the compatibility of large-scale wind energy infrastructure with the protection of one of Ireland’s most important cultural, spiritual and natural heritage landscapes.”
The developers have begun to distribute new information on the project to homes in area as part of further public consultation.
They said the project will “contribute to the goals set out in Ireland’s Climate Action Plan 2025 and offer new economic opportunities across the region”.
“The development of a wind farm on this bog would continue the area’s long tradition of energy production in a new, increasingly sustainable form,” the developers said.
It is anticipated that less than 5% of the proposed site area will be used for turbine bases, crane hard-standings and access tracks.
The current draft layout is based on turbines of 200 metres in height, and a minimum setback distance of 800 metres from the nearest residential property.
However, the developers have said: “Turbines of up to 220m tip height may also be considered as part of the final design.”
Should this occur, they would be located further from the nearby residential properties and there could also be a reduction in the number of turbines proposed.
The developers also stated their intention to apply to An Coimisiún Pleanála under the provision of the Planning and Development Act as to whether the project is deemed Strategic Infrastructure Development, which would facilitate an application direct to the planning board, rather than to the local authority in the first instance.