Dublin Bay North Labour Party TD, Seán Kenny, has said that Saorgus Energy Ltd, the company proposing to build a windfarm known as Dublin Array, should be doing more to alert constituents not living in Howth to the proposals they have put forward for a windfarm on the Kish Bank.

Mr Kenny said: "These proposals have been ongoing since 2009. Kish Bank, and Bray Bank, where a second windfarm has been proposed, are approximately 10kms from the Dublin and Wicklow coasts. The company behind the proposal recently published an environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in respect of the proposal, which is known as Dublin Array. A public consultation process is currently on-going. However, viewing of the proposals is only available in one location in the Dublin Bay North area, that of Howth library.

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"There are other locations to view the information, but they are in the public libraries in Dun Laoghaire, Dalkey, Bray and Greystones - well away from Dublin Bay North, which makes it very difficult for Northsiders to easily access the information. The material may also be viewed during this period at the Saorgus Project Information Office in Dublin at Hall 10A (Private Pavilion), Anglesea Road Entrance, RDS, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4. There is also a website at http://www.dublinarray.com/ - but crucially, some of the information is missing from this website, and this includes the highly important visual aspects of the windfarm.

"I think this is quite simply not good enough given the scale of the proposals, and that a wider consultation across Dublin City needs to be undertaken, especially in those communities all along the coast line.

"In order to construct a windfarm on the foreshore, consents from the Commission for Energy Regulation are also required, including a licence to generate electricity, and an authorisation to construct a generating station. Planning permission in respect of any land-based infrastructure associated with the development is also necessary."

(CD/IT)