Decision made on sprawling 275 acre solar development in Longford

The Ballymahon solar development will include the installation of a battery storage unit and approximately 700,000sqm solar PV panels

Published 15th May 2026, 20:00 BST A photo of a solar development as featured on the BNRG Ballymahon website | Source: www.bnrgballymahon.com The Ballymahon solar development will include the installation of a battery storage unit and approximately 700,000sqm solar PV panels Sign up to our Longford Live newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know you can manage your profile, and explore all of the available newsletters from Longford Live within your account.

Planning permission has been granted for a significant solar development spanning approx 275 acres across the rural Longford townlands of Tirlickeen, Cartonbrack, Clogh, Corryena, and Lismacmurrogh, and will include the installation of a battery storage unit and approximately 700,000sqm solar PV panels.

The applicant - BNRG Ballymahon - was granted planning permission despite strong objection from local residents.

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BNRG submitted a RED III application “for a 10 year planning permission with an operational lifespan of 40 years” meaning they were seeking permission to build the project within 10 years, and once built, the facility would operate for up to 40 years.

RED III, as mentioned in the application, is a reference to the EU law that requires countries to increase renewable energy use and speed up the approval and development of green energy projects.

Before and after. Among the photo montage included in the application was a visual mock up of how the panels would look once installed | Longford County Council Included in the application was consent from the registered landowners involved, namely Michael Delaney of Drynan, Ballymahon, Longford (registered owner of the Folios LD1941 and LD3841) Mairead Delaney of Drynan, Ballymahon, Longford (registered owner of the Folios LD51F and LD8079) and Peter McCann and Carol McCann of Tericken House, Ballymahon, Longford, (registered owners of the property contained in Folios n. LD159F, LD20018F and LD3446F)

The directors of BNRG Ballymahon Limited are listed on the application as David Maguire, Nicolas Holman, Carsten Johansen, Seán Maguire, and Manish Sarwal, with a registered company address of Level 3, Plaza 4, Custom House Plaza, Harbourmaster Place, Dublin.

A visual mock-up to show the minimal visibility of the panels from the road | Longford County Council In an objection to the development, Doreen Gerety, owner of Lisglassock House in Kenagh , requested that planning permission be refused on a number of grounds, one being that the development presented a “fundamental conflict with ‘Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands’ tourism strategy.”

She said, “The manner and scale of this project - covering over 270 acres with 700,000 sqm of industrial PV arrays - is in direct conflict with the Longford Tourism Strategy and Fáilte Ireland’s ‘Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands’ brand”

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Ms Gerety pointed out that the proposed development would severely impact the viability of established tourism businesses like Lisglassock House, a significant period property built circa 1810 and following extensive restoration, is now an established country home and growing tourism business.

She added that the proposed solar development also undermined the strategic goals of Longford County Council .

With regard to the visual aspect of the proposal, Ms Gerety stated that the proposed 550m of security fencing, 56 containerized battery modules (BESS), and 18 MV stations “represented an industrial creep into a highly sensitive rural area.”

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Ms Gerety went on to cite the “procedural incompetence and lack of capability” as one of her proposed grounds for planning refusal. She claimed the applicant, BNRG, “has demonstrated a recurring inability to manage the planning process correctly.”

A visual mock-up to show the minimal visibility of the panels from the road | Longford County Council Ms Gerety wrote, “Errors in site notices, incorrect road names, and retrospective changes to notifications indicate a lack of professional rigor. If the applicant cannot accurately label a site notice or identify a road, the Planning Authority cannot have confidence in their ability to manage a high-risk 80MW Energy Storage Compound or adhere to complex environmental mitigation measures.”

On the grounds of ‘sustainability and ethical concerns’, Ms Gerety wrote, “As highlighted by the recent RTE Investigates program, the global supply chain for solar panels is fraught with sustainability issues, including environmental damage and forced labour in manufacturing regions in China. Given the 40-year lifespan of this project, the ‘carbon debt’ of importing 700,000 sqm of panels from unethical sources undermines the ‘green’ credentials of this application.”

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In a separate objection, Lorraine Rowan of Kiltaffen, Kenagh, raised significant concerns about the scale of the proposed solar farm, stating, “Longford County Council's own development plan refers to solar farms in the region of 25 acres; this proposal and all others in the area far outstrip that by several multiples.”

In her objection, Ms Rowan claimed the development was “an opportunistic attempt by private industry to earn huge profits dressed up as Ireland meeting its climate and renewable energy targets,” and argued there would be “absolutely no benefit to the residents of rural South County Longford”.

Updated substation and construction compound location plan | Longford County Council Ms Rowan continued, “There will be no long-term employment opportunities, profits are leaving the country and the rural countryside will be destroyed if all the planned solar and wind plans for this area come to fruition.”

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Another objector suggested a more suitable alternative location for the development.

Brian Egan of Kenagh wrote that his main concerns were the loss of high quality farmland, impacts on local residents, harm to wildlife, and the availability of better alternative sites.

He said that while renewable energy is important, it “should not come at the cost of our valuable farmland.” Mr Egan added that the development would also be close to homes and pointed out that there were thousands of acres of nearby bog land that are unsuitable for farming due to peat soil but would be ideal for solar panels.

Mr Egan added, “Using these sites would protect prime farmland and could even improve biodiversity through careful rehabilitation and management alongside the solar farm.”

Despite almost 20 objections from locals, Longford County Council granted permission with 22 conditions attached. The conditions addressed issues including proper planning, visual amenity, sustainable development, traffic safety, and the “continued preservation of places, caves, sites, features or other objects of archaeological interest.”

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BNRG Ballmyahon states on their website that “once developed, the solar farm will save 30,000 tonnes of carbon emissions annually and will power the equivalent of 20,000 homes annually.”

The proposed development for the Longford sites consist of a solar farm and energy storage compound with a total area of circa 111.1ha (275 acres) The solar farm development - which will span a total site area measuring circa 94.18ha - will involve the installation of approximately 700,000sqm solar PV panel arrays, to include approximately 355,000 sqm of ground mounted panels supported by steel frame structures.

It will also include the installation of approximately 18 MV stations and an energy storage compound consisting of 56 containerised energy storage modules and associated plant and equipment.

According to the application, approximately 550 meters of security fencing is proposed for around the BESS compound as well as pole-mounted CCTV cameras for site monitoring.

Related topics: Planning permission Longford County Council Longford Planning RTÉ Planning Kenagh Longford Sign up to our Longford Live newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know you can manage your profile, and explore all of the available newsletters from Longford Live within your account.