Kildare horse trainer fails to overturn plans for electricity cable across stud farm

Kildare horse trainer, Dermot Weld has failed in his bid to overturn the council's decision to grant permission for an electricity cable which crosses his land. 

A portion (310m) of the 8.5km long line is proposed to cross one of fields, which contains a gallops at Rathbride Stud Farm. The field is bound by Newtown Road to the north and is setback 600m from the trainer's stable yard and residence, which adjoin the R415 (to the east), 2km north east of Kildare Town.

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Last January, Kildare County Council gave the go ahead to the ESB to install the cable, subject to 13 conditions. 

Mr Weld appealed the decision to An Bord Pleanála. 

He told the board the location of the proposed line, which crosses his farm and is in parallel to existing 110kv line,  is "wholly inappropriate and does not accord with the County Development Plan (CDP)".

He contends the option of under grounding the line, or rerouting it away from the stud farm onto less sensitive lands, as he requested, was not addressed by the planning authority. 

Mr Weld believes the plans do not comply with CDP provisions on the protection of thoroughbred horses, and the promoting and protecting of established equine operations. The successful trainer also questioned the potential impact this development would have on a key equine business on the edge of the Curragh and submits "no expert analysis was submitted on the potential impact on equine animals within Rathbride Stud Farm".

In response, Kildare County Council said all the matters raised were addressed at application stage, and the development of lands used by the equine industry is not precluded by the CDP. 
"There is no evidence that overhead lines can adversely impact thoroughbred horses," it says.

The local authority says clear methodology, including subterranean construction details on project construction, is provided within the application. It stresses alternative routes were "comprehensively considered at application stage".

On May 16, An Bord Pleanála said the proposed development, subject to compliance with conditions, "would not have an unacceptable impact on the landscape, would not have significant adverse impacts on the environment, would not significantly
injure established equine business and would not seriously injure the residential amenities of property in the vicinity".

It also said; "The proposed development would not have any likely significant effects on Pollardstown Fen Special Area of Conservation or any other European site".

The 38kv line will travel between Kildare substation and Newbridge substation through the townlands of Crockanure Glebe,
Southgreen, Kildare, Bishopsland, Cloghgarrett Glebe, Crockanure, Blackmillers Hill, Dunmurry West, Curragh, Rathbride, Friarstown, Newtown, Milltown, Scarletstown and Roseberry in Co. Kildare.