The Irish Racehorse Trainers’ Association (IRTA), as well as the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association, are among a number of parties which have lodged an appeal with An Bord Pleanála against a solar farm development near the Curragh Racecourse.
They are challenging the decision of Kildare County Council in November to grant planning permission for the development of a solar farm at Pollardstown by Power Capital Renewable Energy.
The company plans to develop the solar farm with a four-megawatt capacity using approximately 18,000 solar panels over a six-hectare site, the Irish Examiner reports.
Among other parties challenging the decision are Pollardstown Residents’ Association and several well-known trainers and stud farm owners including Desmond Swan.
The Irish Racehorse Trainers Association said Co Kildare was currently home to 85 licensed trainers who did not choose their location by chance but by trying to find the most suitable environment for the needs of thoroughbred horses.
IRTA CEO Michael Grassick said the association was not opposed to solar farms in general provided their location was not in the vicinity of racing stables.
The IRTA said a number of training establishments were based in Pollardstown comprising 300 stables, which employed 75 people directly.
He warned that stables, in which trainers had invested heavily, would no longer be viable if they were in a location where horses could not rest due to noise.
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