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DEVELOPERS hoping to build a solar farm close to the A5 at the Curr Road near Beragh will have to wait longer to learn whether the proposal will be approved.
Fermanagh and Omagh District Council planning officers had recommended approval of the scheme, but councillors have now deferred a decision after requesting a site visit to the land in question.
The application site is located close to the main A5 between Omagh and Ballygawley and is accessed via the Greenmount Road. A total of 18 objections have been received in relation to the proposal. Local Ulster Unionist councillor Allan Rainey, who lives near the site, said a site meeting was necessary to allow councillors to fully understand what is being proposed.
“There is acrimony around this application, but it is for objectors to speak for themselves,” he said. “There is a need for people to understand what is going on here.”
The application has been submitted by local businessman Sean Heaney and seeks permission for 13 rows of solar panels of varying lengths on land close to the A5 Diner and petrol filling station. The development is described as a mid-scale solar installation.
Planning officers told councillors that the site is a low-lying field and that they are satisfied there would be no significant visual impact, with the landscape not considered sensitive.
The Department for Infrastructure and the council’s Environmental Health Service were consulted as part of the assessment.
A planning report examined the potential for glint and glare and concluded that reflective light would not have a significant impact on nearby properties or road users, subject to landscaping mitigation.
The report also found no detrimental impact in terms of overlooking, noise, vibration or disturbance. A number of conditions are proposed, including site access, landscaping and the storage of associated equipment.
