Derrybrien terms breached, say locals

The developers of a wind farm at Derrybrien in east Galway failed to carry out a geotechnical survey and were in breach of their planning conditions when a landslide occurred there last October, a local group has claimed.

The landslide saw the Derrybrien blanket bog slip more than two kilometres, closing local roads, damaging bridges, causing fish kills and resulting in local families being evacuated from their homes.

An Oireachtas committee agreed yesterday to call Galway County Council, developers Hibernian Wind Power, the builders Ascon, Coillte and Bord Pleanála before the committee to "explain their roles".

Local people, under the umbrella of the Derrybrien Landslide Action Group, told the committee that a search of documents in Galway County Council offices "revealed serious irregularities with regard to non-compliance of 27 planning conditions".

The action group also discovered a report from a county council planner to the effect that the environmental impact assessment produced by the developers was inadequate and did not include a full geotechnical survey as required by EU directive.

The action committee said the only element of geotechnical investigation available was an archaeology report, a survey for which had to be suspended because the ground in the area was found to be unstable. This report had been compiled as a condition associated with a 1998 planning permission for the first two phases of the wind farm.

The group questioned the granting of a felling licence for 650 acres of trees on the hillside.

It also maintained it could find no aspect of the various planning permissions for the wind farm which gave the developers authority to create two quarries and blast into the hillside. One condition of the permission, that a cash payment or a bond of €100,000 be made out in favour of the county council before work started, was not fulfilled.

The first two phases of the Derrybrien Wind Farm in the name of Saorgus Energy Ltd, were granted planning permission by Galway County Council in 1998. A third phase was refused in 2000 but was subsequently approved by Bord Pleanála in 2001. By this time Saorgus Energy had sold its interest in the project to Hibernian Wind Power, a subsidiary of the ESB.

Mr Martin Collins, chairman of the action group, said locals drew the council's attention, by registered letter to the enforcement section, to the non-compliance with planning conditions shortly after work began last July. Up until yesterday they had not received a reply.

However, the council did raise issues of non-compliance with Hibernian Wind Power on October 9th, a week before the landslide.

On October 10th, planning permission for phases one and two of the still incomplete development expired. Galway County Council agreed to an extension of this 1998 planning permission last November 23rd.