Solar farm planned for luxury hotel site

800 panel solar farm planned.

One of the county’s most celebrated and historic hotels has applied to Cavan County Council for permission to install an 800 panel solar farm within the grounds.

Kingscourt Castle Ltd has applied on behalf of Cabra Castle, Cormey, Kingscourt to install a “photovoltaic generating system” to consist of a series of “ground mounted” solar panels and roof mounted panels.

The stated aim of the plan is to help offset the property’s reliance on fossil fuels as well as assist to lowering “running costs”.

Each of the 800 ground mounted panels will measure one metre by 1.7 metres in diameter, and will be positioned at a site located to the north west of the castle, a protected structure. The works include connection to an existing sub-station building.

An assessment on the proposed development was prepared by Niall Smith Architects on behalf of Cabra Castle’s owners, the Corscadden family.

The report, carried out in October of this year says that the proprietors wish to make the property “less reliant on fossil fuels” by harnessing solar energy and converting it to “usable electricity”.

“Much of the accommodation at Cabra Castle consists of authentic old buildings which have minimal thermal insulation built into the fabric of same. It is not easy to improve the levels of insulation as this could easily be detrimental to the character and quality of the authentic interiors. The building is thus not very efficient with regard to thermal efficiency by current standards and it takes significant energy to heat the building and provide the required range of services”.

The report goes on to state that the proposed solar panel installation would “help to address” this situation as the “green energy” generated would reduce the carbon footprint of the building “significantly and also assist with the running costs”.

It adds: “Needless to say direct south facing sunlight is imperative for Solar Panel installations to work efficiently”.

The site, the report adds, is “roughly parallel” to the main avenue to the castle. “The applicants are very conscious of the importance of not impacting negatively on the castle or its vistas, including that from the approach avenue”.

To minimise the visual impact it is proposed also to carry out “some earth works” to facilitate lowering the height of the crest of the hill so that the panels “can become more absorbed into same”.

The proposed excavations will involve “reshaping the site” so that two “levelish plateaus” are formed. Excavated material will be relocated to the edge of the site to form an “earth-berm” to assist with “visually screening” the panel installation.

“The angle of the proposed installation in relation to the castle building should result in minimal effect of glinting as it will be visible from only very few windows on the upper floors. The panels are to be ground mounted so will be as low as possible on the ground to minimise the visual impact of same”.

A decision on the application is due in early December.