New windfarm will be 'at the heart of scenic area' in Mayo

A Belmullet councillor has said it is time to call stop on windmills being developed in Erris.

Cllr Gerry Coyle told the recent meeting of Westport-Belmullet Municipal District that "we are building windmills like they are going out of fashion".

"Unlike with planning applications to build houses, nobody is going to ask them have you links to the area to build them or have you proof you are from the area. Thirteen new windmills are being built at the moment. I asked for information at their so-called drop-in centre and was told I had to get an appointment. 

"These windmills are going up in the heart of the most scenic area from Geesala, they are 185 metres high and yet we say houses have to be so low that they can’t be seen. 

"Erris has enough. Nobody is against progress but we will now have the biggest windfarms in Europe. If we are serious about tourism, it is time to say Erris has enough of this kind of investment. We don’t even get the money back from the rates, it goes straight to Castlebar. The only engagement they had with people was a leaflet stuck through the letter boxes. I am not going to make an appointment with anyone that’s going to put a windmill in my back garden.”

• Published as part of the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.