Wicklow County Council grants permission for 14.4-hectare solar farm at Arklow, Co. Wicklow

In context

It is one of 10 solar farm applications Wicklow 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 applicant, or anyone who made a submission on the application, can appeal the decision to An Coimisiún Pleanála within four weeks of 24 April 2026. If no appeal is lodged, the council’s decision stands and a final grant issues.

The development description, as lodged

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

• 1 no. ICT facility building with a gross floor area (GFA) of c. 36,655 sq.m and a total parapet height of c.19.5m. • 2 no. ICT facilities each with a GFA of c. 4,428 sq.m and a total parapet height of c. 10.5m. • Each of the ICT facilities will accommodate ICT equipment rooms, external mechanical equipment areas, electrical equipment rooms, network rooms, ancillary office space, storage and loading bays; • The construction of a solar farm development consisting of photovoltaic (PV) panel arrays covering an area of approximately c. 2.7 ha in the east of the site, on ground mounted steel frames, underground cabling and ducting, a new gated internal track for maintenance and all associated site services works; • Relocation of the customer transformer compound permitted under WCC Reg. Ref.: 21/1080 as amended by WCC Reg. Ref.: 23/843; • The provision of process water and domestic water split tanks, process water and domestic water plantrooms, rainwater harvesting tanks, chlorine dosing kiosk, sprinkler pump rooms, sprinkler tanks, fire hydrant pump room and hydrant tank; • The provision of an internal road network and circulation areas, footpaths, 104 no. car parking spaces and 100 no. cycle parking spaces; • The construction site access arrangements and amendments to the internal road network permitted under WCC Reg. Ref.: 21/1080 as amended by WCC Reg. Ref.: 23/843; • Landscaping and planting, boundary treatments, site lighting, security fencing, all associated site works including underground foul and storm water drainage network, Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SuDS) measures, and utility cables, and all ancillary works. The operation of the proposed development will require an EPA Industrial Emissions Directive (IE) Licence. An Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR) has been prepared