Planning applications in for taller structures than the Elysian!

MrThrifty

I just found out today that planning applications have been made for 6 massive wind turbines to be located around the Cork lower harbour area and wanted to make people aware of this. The turbines will apparently be for private use by some of the large pharmaceutical companies located in the area. What's disturbing though is the fact that the turbines will likely be over twice the height of the Elysian (and therefore also the County Hall)! I'm not an eco-warrior or anything like that, and I'm not trying to campaign here, but it strikes me that this is suspiciously being kept below the radar for some reason as I have not come across any mention of it in the media to-date.

I've done a quick bit of research and the planning applications (which were made at the end of April) are outlined at the end of this online doc -> http://www.corkcoco.ie/co/pdf/906828406.pdf. There also appears to be a website set up by the project backers which has illustrative photos showing the proposed wind turbines from various areas around the harbour -> see http://www.clheg.com/boards.html and http://www.clheg.com/CLHEG-Newsletter-2.pdf. However, it is quite apparent that this website is clearly biased towards the proposers for the turbines!

Anyway, I just wanted to put this info out there so that people are in the know. If everyone's in favour of the turbines going ahead, then well and good. However, I was just really shocked myself by the fact that there seems to be very little public knowledge of the planning applications, which incidentally I've established are only displayed at the pharmaceutical companies themselves even though the wind turbines will permanently change the look of the entire Cork harbour area. :eek:

invinciblePRSTV

My NIMBY-ometer has just gone off the scale after clicking on this thread.

dahamsta

If you don't care about it, why the tabloid title?

deRanged

just about the height of the stacks at Aghada so.
I wonder what the power generation figures are for those turbines.

MrThrifty

dahamsta wrote: »

If you don't care about it, why the tabloid title?

I do care about it and the title was simply to reflect the reality of the situation. Even though I don't live in the city, to me the Elysian was clearly a disaster from the start from a planning point of view and is ironically still practically unoccupied. However, this was probably a simple case of excess greed and stupidity during the boom, something clearly different to the wind turbines in question.

As for the back yard argument, this is not the situation here. But I do think there should be proper debate on the matter since the wind turbines are not being established to cope with an electricity shortage but instead to reduce the costs of private companies. I agree that in theory this should make the companies in question more viable and therefore retain jobs or generate further jobs, but at what cost to Cork? It reminds me a bit of the phrase selling your soul to the devil. Taken to an extreme, should we allow private companies to install solar panels across all public parks or wave generation devices on all beaches?! This is really the argument I am trying to raise here.

If people are informed about the turbines and are in favour, as I already said, I would be a happy person if they go ahead. But the issue as I see it is that people are generally not aware of the planned turbines.

Outkast_IRE

MrThrifty wrote: »

I do care about it and the title was simply to reflect the reality of the situation. Even though I don't live in the city, to me the Elysian was clearly a disaster from the start from a planning point of view and is ironically still practically unoccupied. However, this was probably a simple case of excess greed and stupidity during the boom, something clearly different to the wind turbines in question.

As for the back yard argument, this is not the situation here. But I do think there should be proper debate on the matter since the wind turbines are not being established to cope with an electricity shortage but instead to reduce the costs of private companies. I agree that in theory this should make the companies in question more viable and therefore retain jobs or generate further jobs, but at what cost to Cork? It reminds me a bit of the phrase selling your soul to the devil. Taken to an extreme, should we allow private companies to install solar panels across all public parks or wave generation devices on all beaches?! This is really the argument I am trying to raise here.

If people are informed about the turbines and are in favour, as I already said, I would be a happy person if they go ahead. But the issue as I see it is that people are generally not aware of the planned turbines.

This was all over the local news and radio , i think it was last summer so they have been making people well aware of their plans since then, to be honest i do a bit of hillwalking etc and i dont think they take anything away from the environment , as long as they make businesses more viable and encourage inward investment in the pharma industry in cork i would be happy, the pharma industry in cork has taken a battering over the last 4 years.
from sept 2010
http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/kfcwsngbaugb/rss2/
august 2010
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0827/1224277690542.html

these are just a sample if you read any national or local papers it was hard to miss.

Also i would assume if these turbines create any excess energy it will feed back into the grid , and will help the national grid by reducing the load. In that sense i cant see a negative to the public interest.

dahamsta

I also fail to understand the continued correlation with the Elysian. The Elysian is a residential building in the city centre. Wind turbines are commercial energy generation structures in the county. They have next to nothing in common.

MrThrifty

dahamsta wrote: »

I also fail to understand the continued correlation with the Elysian. The Elysian is a residential building in the city centre. Wind turbines are commercial energy generation structures in the county. They have next to nothing in common.

Look, as I said already, I only started this thread to make people aware of the planning applications for the turbines and possibly encourage some healthy debate. it seems to now be going down the route of people jumping on my particular wording of things and then me having to defend and justify this.

I will do this for the last time now...

Commonalities between the Elysian and proposed wind turbines:
- Both structures maximised in height so as to maximise return on investment (as opposed to the case of multiple smaller structures)
- Both structures built ultimately for profit (as opposed to say schools or community windfarm schemes elsewhere in the world)
- Both structures having a significant impact on visual environment/landscape (a.k.a. the 'eyesore' effect to some!)

As for the media comments, the key point I was making is that it appears that there has been zero coverage since the details of the turbines were finalised and the planning applications submitted.

Finally, for the record, I want to state the obvious - I have no personal vested interest in the turbines going ahead such as being employed by or doing work for the pharmaceutical companies involved.

Seloth

Tbh I think it may look pretty nice.

When driving back from a particular route from college in Limerick theres a windturbine high up in a mountian and it really adds to the view.I think myself that it would do much the same.

Everyone has their own opinions of course but I'd be in favor of them.

Rhys Essien

MrThrifty,I myself think that wind turbines look good and can add to the scenary.When you look at them you have to remind yourself that they are clean energy, and are better to be looking at chimney stacks belching out black smoke.
My advice to you would be to take a drive to Whitegate and on the way, just after Saleen,take a look at the two private turbines up on the hill to the left.You may change your opinion.

Milly33

Why are people against Wind Turbines...I honestly do not understand it, they are great on all levels.. I heard it was because of the noise but I find the noise very relaxing or peacfull nearly....

Much prefer then than the Eylsian or even the re-development of the marina

Cork guitarist

A wind turbine on top of the Elysian? Wow!

Seloth

I just noticed the three wind turbines at the other edge of the harbor the other day and I must say they look really really good!

MrThrifty

I've been keeping my head low for the last week or so...

But... I did venture to the harbour area... and while I could clearly see the eyesore that the chimney stack at Aghada is, I could see no sign of those wind turbines near Saleen. I presume they must be relatively small in size as they definitely didn't appear anywhere near the horizon. I would be very curious to know what height they actually are.

I would just make the point so that it's the scale of the proposed wind turbines that really concerns me. Imagine several Aghada chimney stacks which actually have moving features that span out two thirds of the height to the sides, if you know what I mean.

To summarise I suppose, just because a stone wall in your back garden looks pretty doesn't necessarily mean a 20 foot high version of the same thing will look good!

Seloth

They are very hard to see...I only spotted them by chance as it was a clear day but quite often in the average backdrop of the harbour you cant.

dahamsta

They're up on the hill on the left as you head in the Whitegate direction. I like the way they've painted the bases green and faded it up to the white of the main mast, it really ties them into the environment.

Personally, I think the only people who dislike these weren't allowed one of these when they were kids.

DanWall

Apart from the Whitegate one's, why are they always white they stand out? why not green? to blend in

dahamsta

I'd guess they're uncoated plastic, left that way to avoid maintenance -- the return on them is very long term, so someone motivated primarily by profit might prefer to save that cost. That's just speculation though, and you'd think it were the case, they'd try to blend in a bit more to keep planning objections down.

Needler

Great. I hope these turbines are promptly built to provide us with cheap electricity and a pleasant ornament to the local scenery.

They can build the first one directly outside my house

charlemont

Only got wind of them few minutes ago, So done a quick Google, I just saw the rotating tips of one of them from the city, The sun was reflecting off it so I spotted it on the horizon which from my view would be the hill on the Great Island.

cold case

What is the latest on when they will be built etc? Have they started putting them up already?

Markcheese

charlemont wrote: »

Only got wind of them few minutes ago, So done a quick Google, I just saw the rotating tips of one of them from the city, The sun was reflecting off it so I spotted it on the horizon which from my view would be the hill on the Great Island.

Which ones did you spot ? The ones between Cloyne and aghada...?

charlemont

Markcheese wrote: »

Which ones did you spot ? The ones between Cloyne and aghada...?

It must be one of them, I reckon by Aghada because as the crow flies Aghada is only 12 miles from the city. I could only see the tips of the blades though, Only saw them due to reflection from the sun.

Shenshen

That's good news. They are providing clean energy, and I do like they way they look. The ones in Aghada (although you can really only see them across the bay when the weather is clear enough) are lovely.

Way to go, we need more of these. If there's one thing Ireland's got plenty of, it's wind.

Outkast_IRE

DanWall wrote: »

Apart from the Whitegate one's, why are they always white they stand out? why not green? to blend in

Id imagine no1 if your at ground level white blends into clouds better than green .

and 2 if your flying white sticks out pretty obviously so you wont fly into the thing

bogman

dahamsta wrote: »

I also fail to understand the continued correlation with the Elysian. They have next to nothing in common.

In this case they have, HEIGHT.

Reckon they will be a right eyesore too.

dahamsta

Did you find it difficult to read beyond the first sentence? Did the words hurt your head?