65.7-hectare solar farm proposed at Ballymoneen Grange East Cashla, Co. Galway

In context

It is one of 13 solar farm applications Galway County Council has received in the past twelve months, against 337 nationally. Of the 573 such applications decided by councils in the past three years, 92% were granted.

What happens next

The five-week window for public submissions has closed. The council normally decides within eight weeks of the application being lodged, unless it requests further information, which stops the clock.

The development description, as lodged

Verbatim from the Galway County Council register. This is the source for every figure in the story above.

to construct an extension to the permitted and under construction Ballymoneen Solar Farm (Galway County Council Reg. Ref. 20/961 and Reg. Ref. 22/61105); at a site of four separate land parcels with a combined area of c.65.72 hectares, all situated adjacent to or in close proximity to the permitted and under-construction solar farm. The application site comprises four parcels as follows: Parcel A is located in the townland of Ballymoneen measures c.14.29 hectares and is principally bounded: to the north partly by agricultural lands and partly by Cregmore Road; to the south and west by agricultural lands; and to the east by the permitted and under-construction solar farm. Parcel B is located in the townland of Grange East, measures c.8.50 hectares and is principally bounded: to the north and west by the permitted and under construction solar farm; and to the south and east by agricultural lands. The L7117 local road runs parallel to the parcels eastern boundary. Parcel C is located in the townland of Cashla, measures c.22.05 hectares and is principally bounded: to the north partly by agricultural lands and partly by the permitted and under construction solar farm; to the east and west by agricultural lands and to the south partly by agricultural lands, partly by a farmyard, and two residential properties (Cashla House, H65 A892, and Cashla Lodge, H65 XY56) and partly by the R339 road. Parcel D is located in the townland of Moor, Co. Galway, measures c.20.6 hectares and is principally bounded: to the north by agricultural lands; to the east by the L3103 local road to the south partly by a Moorpark, Athenry, Co. Galway (Eircode H65 CX33) and partly by agricultural lands; and to the west by agricultural lands. The proposed development consists of: the installation of photovoltaic (PV) panels mounted on ground-based support structures across Parcels A–D; provision of electrical transformer and inverter station modules; construction of internal access routes to serve the subject parcels; provision of security fencing, CCTV, and associated ancillary infrastructure; installation of underground electrical cabling and ducting (including a section of underground cabling and ducting along a section of the L3103 connecting Parcel C to Parcel D (c. 0.28 hectares)); provision of site drainage infrastructure; implementation of landscaping and habitat enhancement measures, including hedgerow planting and reinforcement, reseeding, and ecological mitigation; and all associat