12.8-hectare solar farm proposed at Sligo University Hospital campus, The Mall, Co. Sligo

In context

It is one of 2 solar farm applications Sligo County Council has received in the past twelve months, against 335 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 Sligo County Council register. This is the source for every figure in the story above.

The installation of approximately 2,300 photovoltaic (PV) panels, each measuring 2,000mm x 1,000mm, resulting in a combined coverage area of approximately 4,600 m² across the roofs of existing buildings within the hospital campus, including the Specialist Mental Health Unit (SMHU) and the Northwest Hospice, along with all associated works. Protected Structure: The proposed development is situated within the curtilage of a Protected Structure: Block A, A 1940's institutional building of regional significance listed under the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage (NIAH Reg. No. 32008001).