1. I observe that it's not appropriate to charge for people to ask questions / make observations / object to this gateway planning application PA01.315365 . I call it a "gateway planning application" as, if granted, it would open the door, irreversibly, to another 35 giant wind turbines, innumerable 60 mtre high pylons (with no guidelines for those from people's homes) and the little talked about substation, which are fully evidenced as admitting radiation that is fully evidenced to be harmful to human health. 2. The infrastructure for this application will inevitably provide the access for the upcoming applications. This includes some serious ,but not yet identified threats to my home and it's value in particular. The maps have not yet been made public of the siting of the 7 proposed turbines nearest us, but I know there will be a serious impact as I have already been approached by the company. They said because I am only 720 metres from the proposed turbine, that are offering 5000 euro per house and would cover legal costs for advice. They even asked for my solicitors contact details. 3. Juxtapose this against a property valuers professional opinion that homes, as soon as planning for a windfarm is granted , lose half their value. In fact, no-one is looking for a home near a windfarm and we would not be allowed to sell without disclosing that you have granted permission for such a development. 4. I further make the observation that the map I was shown was very obscured by Coilte forestry, and I ask you to look closely at how coilte management has removed a lot of the influence and decision making capacity from the people living here. 5. We have been made aware that 2 local roads, at least, will have to be completely stripped of their hedgerow habitat (three quarters of all birds, bats, pollinators and biodiversity in general are lost around wind farms/factories too) and equipped to carry trucks of 83m long,for even the blades of the turbine. We have seen the damage done by these major groundworks in other parts of the country. I ask you to refuse this application and dismiss it out of hand. The risks of subsidence and landslide, down on top of the 130 homes in the vicinity of these turbines and the 320 homes in the vicinity of the proposed Castlewarren development isn't an unfounded fear. You must consider your responsibility for what happened with Amazon's development, which was approved to offset their huge use of power, under the pretext of renewable green energy, 6. A simple calculation shows how completely contradictory to our EU commitments these turbines are. Each one covers a span of 4 acres, which will mean 172 acres squared of land laid waste , where nothing will grow. Worse than that, a huge level of quarrying would be required to hold these vast structures up, and tens of thousands of tons of concrete, which An Bord Pleonala must know is considered the least environmentally defensible material. Even a cursory look at what happens to turbine parts shows that they only have a life span of 20 years and, because blades cannot be recycled, they are disposed of in already desertified countries. 7. I observe that An Bord Pleanala are not in a position to make a decision on wether to build these windfarms. The guidelines you have were established in 2006, in assessment of turbines half the size. This is significant because turbines of this size have never been built on land before and the companies that are applying are aware that in the countries where their companies are based, they would not be allowed to build them so close to homes. Again, the corporations applying and set to profit, know the safe guidelines and yet are only being asked to submit an environmental impact report, in the knowledge that the current government is zoning huge areas of land for wind and promising 100% renewable energy, guaranteeing successful applications, 8. You must not give permission in this instance because this company is only a broker who will sell on the planning permission and, therefore will have no accountability if it's built. An Bord Pleonala will only be in a position to make a decision once Eamon Ryan implements the new guidelines of minimum distance from homes that was discussed more than 6 years ago. 9. I inform you that there is a specific reason why this application has gone straight to An Bord Pleonala , rather than the Kilkenny County Council planning office. At our fraught and regular and well attended community meetings about how to stop the destruction of our community, many elected councilors have come to support us. They unanimously voted against the zoning of Kilkenny for wind power when they were asked to contribute to the county plan. I believe that bypassing the elected representatives on a development that was seen to do so much harm to the people was unlawful . We do not consent. 10. To elaborate on the harm that wind turbines do to the health of humans and animals; studies point to a disturbance and coagulation of the blood and deformities in infants . Ignorance or insufficient research on the part of the planning authority will not detract from your responsibilities, should these very real problems come to light down the line. Also the constant but irregular sound prevents the function of the circadian rhythm which means interrupted sleep and not being able to go to sleep, leading to impaired immune system and development. I hope you are not going to go against the Supreme Court ruling that determined that wind turbines certainly cause harm and a loss of wellbeing to people, it was only a question of degree. Furthermore, they said that health problems developed long before work started as the sense of injustice and powerless to protect their families or the value of their home did damage. 11. These corporations have been working on their applications for years and yet people are given 6 weeks and a fifty euro fee to study the application and object. This is your job to investigate and protect people. It would go against the Constitution, which says you cannot harm the people. 12. Any decision to grant planning permission to a foreign company that could claim compensation if Ireland regails on it, should only be made based on your early and thorough research into the harm they do and may do, Therefore the decision should be made to block these and future applications. 13.If Gaeltec are granted planning permission and sell it to EDF, the French equivalent of the ESB, who are applying a few kilometres away for the they will have no incentive to make them efficient ( wind turbines are known to run at 30% efficiency maximum, if it is even agreed that they generate at all) as the next thing is selling French nuclear power to people living in Ireland. These are dangerous and unnecessary industries when individual homes can produce enough power, with a fraction of the cost and destruction to the environment. 14. The social fund they are proposing, nor the development will not secure power for any homes in the area and the figure of 60 million has been calculated as estimated loss of value of property extracted from the area, if you grant permission. 15. You are responsible, we are relying on you to say no
