MOURNEABBEY COMMUNITY HALL, MALLOW, CO. CORK FEB 1ST 2019:
LARGE ATTENDANCE AT NVTA FIRST PUBLIC MEETING

Attendees from all invited communities (Glenville, Mourneabbey, Killavullen, Carrignavar, Whitechurch, Grenagh and vicinities) were welcomed in large numbers with turnout estimated 272 attendees who made their presence known and filled seats to capacity for the first public meeting of the Nagle View Turbine Aware community group.
Deemed a success by the organisers with such strong attendance and positive feedback from the audience reporting that the presentation and discussion was informative, engaging and gave valuable high level insights into many of the serious implications this proposed industrial wind turbine park project would have for the extended communities, should it go ahead. An immense project sought in addition to the existing Bottlehill superdump landfill, which Cork County Council have invited within (not instead of) its vicinity.
Opened by Liam Madden, Mourneabbey Community Council (MCC) member and NVTA associate, officiated by Amy Connolly NVTA P.R.O. with Kevin Creedon MCC rep and NVTA Secretary. The success of the event was in no small part due to the support and participation of our guest speakers:
– Caroline Cook, Scartaglen, Co. Kerry: experiences of the difficulties of family life and home inside a wind turbine park (including TG4 Nuacht clip)
– Dr. Betty Hyde MD: wind turbines and human health; infrasound
– Fergal O’Sullivan: Sliabh Luachra Wind Aware and their ongoing battle, community impact, contracts
– Stephen Doyle: Ardglass Turbine Aware success story and how they twice defeated planning applications for a similar turbine development
Topics presented by Amy and Kevin included:
– timelines of communications with developer partners Brookfield and Coillte, and issues therein with community engagement thus far
– solar and battery storage
– audio and waveform demo of wind turbine noise profile from a UK wind farm noise specialist (MAS Env)
– shadow flicker, visual impact
– property and land devaluation; auctioneer survey
– ecology
– Government and legislative shortcomings; 2006 wind energy development guidelines woefully out of date and the now 6 years delayed revision (commenced 2013).

Elected public representative comment was invited from the floor and was taken up by Billy Kelleher TD (FF) and by Cllr. Frank O’Flynn (FF), Cork County Council.

The Nagle View Turbine Aware group thanks all those who came out on a frosty February night to attend and participate in this important discussion.
We look forward to your continued support to push for long overdue legislative change, climate change/renewable energy policy diversification away from over-reliance on onshore wind encroaching on populated areas, ecological and visual protection of the area and ultimately oppose this development on these grounds.