Legal action to stop €60m wind farm

Residents of the south Galway village of Derrybrien intend to take legal action to stop the €60 million wind farm development…

Residents of the south Galway village of Derrybrien intend to take legal action to stop the €60 million wind farm development which caused several landslides in the Slieve Aughty mountain area over a year ago.

The Derrybrien Development Co-Op has said it has been authorised by residents to "institute and prosecute whatever legal action" is "necessary" to "protect the local community". A recent meeting by residents had agreed that the community had "no confidence" in assurances given by the developers, the ESB subsidiary Hibernian Wind Power. Nor was there any faith in Galway County Council's commitment to protect the interest of local people, the co-op's spokesman, Mr Martin Collins, said in a statement.

Last month, a University of East London consultancy study commissioned by the Derrybrien Development Co-Op warned of further landslides if construction work was not halted.

Lorna Siggins

Lorna Siggins

Lorna Siggins is the former western and marine correspondent of The Irish Times