An Bord Pleanala has refused permission for two wind-monitoring masts in Co Waterford which had been opposed by residents' groups and members of the Cistercian order at Mount Melleray.
The 40-metre masts would have been used to establish the feasibility of operating wind farms at two locations close to Cappoquin, one of them in the Knockmealdown Mountains which overlook the Cistercian abbey.
Permission for the developments had been granted in December by Waterford County Council, but An Bord Pleanala, in separate decisions, has said that both would injure the visual amenities of the area.
It said the mast at Knocknafallia, in the Knockmealdowns, would have been in an area designated in the county development plan as having a vulnerable landscape, and would be within view of scenic routes. It would be visually obtrusive and would contravene the objectives of the plan.
The mast was to have been erected by Mr Charles Keane, of Cappoquin Estate, whose family has owned land in the area since 1710 and donated the abbey grounds to the Cistercians in 1832.
In a letter to Waterford County Council opposing the initial application, the abbot of Mount Melleray, Father Eamon Fitzgerald, and 19 other members of the community said wind turbines at Knocknafallia would greatly detract from the natural beauty of the Knockmealdowns.
The monks also raised concerns about noise pollution and the safety of water supplies. "Mount Melleray is a place of religious significance for many people for generations and continues to be visited annually by thousands of people from all over the country and many parts of the world.
"Part of its appeal has to do with its setting in unspoilt countryside. The proposed development would interfere with the natural setting of the monastery," their letter read.
