11-08-2025
Refusal of Wicklow solar farm appealed to An Comisiún Pleanála
The appeal by BRNG Seabank Limited follows Wicklow County Council's (WCC) decision to refuse a proposed development in the townland of Ballymoney, which has a 40-year lifespan, and was the second planned by BNRG in the area after receiving consent for a solar farm on a neighbouring 19-hectare site in 2019.
The refused application proposed to construct PV panels mounted on metal support structures along with a battery energy storage system (BESS), with access provided via the neighbouring, approved solar farm.
The overall scale of the proposed development within a designated Coastal Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, its visibility from the surrounding road network and the 'cumulative effect of a number of permitted solar farms within the immediate area' were noted in the refusal, along with detrimental impacts on the amenities of residential property, the loss of established agricultural land and the lack of supporting information.
Commenting on how it was 'not possible to fully assess the potential impact on the amenities of the area', the WCC planner highlighted the lack of sufficient information submitted, including a fieldwork-based archaeological impact assessment, decommissioning costs, plans outlining appropriate riparian buffer zones and a report on the potential impacts of a cumulative loss of agricultural land in the area'.
