Planning news
An Spidéal Creative Campus
MKO is pleased to have received a grant of permission from An Coimisiún Pleanála on the application for the An Spidéal Creative Campus. The new Campus will provide a cutting-edge educational and training facility which serves the Irish language media sector, supports the local community, and builds on the existing wealth of film, media and artistic talent in An Spidéal. Located on the site of the former Naomh Einde convent, the former convent building will be restored and repurposed as student accommodation, continuing the building’s historic residential and institutional uses. The campus will also include a new Civic Centre building with a new public library, a digital media education and training hub, and a public facing film and music digital archive. The archive will host an extensive collection of Irish language digital media, enabling access for both researchers and the general public.
New biodiversity friendly landscaping, sustainable drainage systems, and the installation of both rooftop solar and rainwater harvesting will ensure the Campus meets the highest standard for sustainability. Finally, enhancements to the streetscape will provide an enhanced pedestrian environment and seamlessly tie the revitalised site into the historic character of the village. MKO is pleased to have provided planning, environmental, ecological, and landscape and visual services on the application for this transformative development.
Call for clarity on approval for new Galway Ring Road
Business and civic leaders in Galway are urgently pressing for clarity and a definite timeline on the long-debated Galway City Ring Road, saying that the extended uncertainty over whether the project will be approved is eroding investor confidence and undermining planning for the region.
The proposed N6 ring road, designed to divert traffic away from the city centre and ease persistent congestion, has been in the pipeline for decades and forms a central pillar of Galway’s transport strategy, but its future remains unresolved as it is before the planning authority. The scheme’s previous planning permission, granted by An Coimisiún Pleanála in 2021, was quashed by the High Court in 2023 after it emerged that An Coimisiúin had not taken the Government’s Climate Action Plan into account, forcing the application to be remitted back for reconsideration with updated environmental and climate information. Councils and Transport Infrastructure Ireland argue the bypass is vital for supporting economic growth and future housing and enterprise development, and they have resubmitted extensive documentation in an effort to address the legal shortcomings.
However, opponents and environmental groups continue to question whether a large road project aligns with climate commitments and whether it will meaningfully solve Galway’s traffic problems. As national politicians debate the project’s merits and the Taoiseach has reiterated his view that the ring road ‘needs’ to be built, local leaders say they need a firm decision from An Coimisiún Pleanála soon to avoid additional delays that are holding up other transport planning, investment decisions and strategies across the city and region.
Renewables news
Irish wind farms provided a third of our power in 2025
Irish wind farms have reached a major milestone, supplying an astonishing one-third of the island’s electricity throughout 2025, according to the latest annual wind energy report from Wind Energy Ireland. This achievement reflects the remarkable growth in clean energy generation across the country and signals a significant step forward in Ireland’s transition to a more secure, affordable, and sustainable energy system.
Over the course of last year, onshore wind capacity in the Republic of Ireland climbed past 5,000 MW, with an additional 150 MW added in 2025, and delivered around 13,634 GWh of clean electricity. County Kerry emerged as the leading contributor to wind power, with Cork and Galway also among the top producers. In December alone, wind farms generated up to 39 per cent of the nation’s electricity, helping to push down wholesale electricity prices from €136.99 in December 2024 to €108.48 in December 2025. Renewable sources overall, including solar, accounted for 43 per cent of total generation during the month.
Wind Energy Ireland’s CEO, Noel Cunniffe, highlighted the pride that the industry’s members can take in this contribution to the national grid and its impact on both emissions and energy costs. The report also sheds light on some of the challenges that accompany such rapid expansion. Around 13% of wind energy produced last year was curtailed before reaching homes and businesses because the existing grid infrastructure could not accommodate all of the generated power. That underlines the need for continued investment in grid upgrades and energy storage solutions so that Ireland can capture and use more of the renewable energy it produces.
Looking ahead, more than 450 MW of new wind projects are under construction, with a further 2,500 MW already holding planning permission. As the nation builds out this pipeline of capacity, strengthened electricity networks and storage systems will be crucial to ensuring that Ireland can fully harness its abundant wind resources. Continued growth in wind energy not only means cleaner air and reduced reliance on imported fossil fuels, but also greater energy independence and economic opportunity for communities across the country
Policy and legislation
Supreme Court ruling on wind farms requires all public bodies to consider climate impacts
Ireland’s Supreme Court has delivered a ruling with potentially far-reaching effects for planning decisions and climate policy by confirming that all public bodies must take the State’s climate targets into account when exercising their functions.
The case focused on a proposed 13-turbine wind farm in County Laois that had initially been refused planning permission, but in its decision, the court emphasised that climate obligations under national law are not merely aspirational but must be given real effect in decision-making. The judges made clear that bodies such as planning authorities cannot ignore or downplay climate considerations and must interpret their powers in ways consistent with Ireland’s legal commitments to reduce emissions and meet climate goals. While recognising that compliance must still respect statutory constraints, the ruling underscores that public bodies’ discretionary judgments should support the achievement of climate objectives and could influence how future energy and infrastructure projects are evaluated.
Legal observers say the decision will shape not just renewable energy planning but how climate law interacts with the broader planning regime across the public sector, highlighting that climate action now has a firm legal foothold in Irish public administration.
Public consultations
Kilkenny County Council
Proposed Variation No.6 to the Kilkenny City & County Development Plan 2021 – 2027 Open from 30th Jan, until the 27th of February 2026, 23:59