Correspondence

AMASS Writes to Minister Darragh O’Brien

14 October 2026

Following the Minister’s attendance at Power Capital Renewable Energy’s solar portfolio launch, AMASS seeks a meeting with residents and calls for enforceable community consultation standards for utility-scale solar developers. The letter also asks whether a developer’s conduct on other Irish projects is considered when it receives State support.

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AMASS Raises Formal Complaint with National Monuments Service

13 October 2026

AMASS questions why documented damage to Recorded Monument at Oakwood South was omitted from the Department’s archaeological observations on the Bellville solar planning application. The letter seeks clarification on the NMS damage case and safeguards to ensure the findings inform future planning decisions affecting the monument and surrounding lands.

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AMASS welcomes landmark Bellville Solar refusal.

2 October 2026

AMASS welcomes Galway County Council’s decision to refuse planning permission for the proposed Bellville Solar Project. The Council refused the 239-hectare, 40-year solar development on 11 separate grounds following approximately 374 public submissions and observations.

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Bellville Solar's "Hokey Cokey" Land Parcel Adds to Growing List of Validity Concerns Over Planning Application

11 August 2026

AMASS is calling on Galway County Council to deem planning application 26/61362 invalid, after Cllr Noel Thomas, TD Albert Dolan and Senator Anne Rabbitte each raised concerns about the completeness of Heron Solar Limited's 239-hectare Bellville Solar Farm application — citing a fee shortfall, a misleading protected-site answer, and contradictory land figures.

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AMASS Says PCRE Must Explain Contradiction Over Oakwood South Enforcement Lands

21 July 2026

AMASS has called on PCRE to explain a contradiction between its April 2026 public denial of any link to the Oakwood South enforcement matter and correspondence dated 29 June 2026, in which its planning manager told Galway County Council it was about to submit a solar farm application covering land subject to enforcement notice EN25/202.

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AMASS to Hold Public Meeting After PCRE Refuses Promised Consultation

30 June 2026

AMASS says PCRE has failed to deliver the in-person public consultation it promised on the Bellville Solar Project, replacing it instead with poor-quality material, fragmented maps and an online-only approach that leaves key questions unanswered and much of the community excluded.

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AMASS Escalates Bellville Solar Planning Concerns

17 June 2026

AMASS letter to Galway County Council sets out concerns about the Bellville Solar project’s changing consenting route, removal of Oakwood South lands, enforcement history, archaeological impacts, and potential project-splitting between local authority and An Coimisiún Pleanála.

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AMASS Demands Answers Over Oakwood South Contradictions

12 June 2026

AMASS calls on PCRE to explain contradictory claims about Oakwood South, after project records, consultation materials, and correspondence linked the lands to the Bellville Solar Project and the related enforcement matter. The release says the documentary record cannot be reconciled with PCRE’s public denial of any connection.

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AMASS Demands Transparency on Developer-Led Grid Connection Process

17 April 2026

AMASS wrote to EirGrid seeking urgent clarification on the Bellville area solar development and grid connection infrastructure. The letter highlights a serious gap between EirGrid's stakeholder engagement commitments and the Abbeyknockmoy/Monivea communities' lived experience, including no dedicated liaison officer, no structured forum, and no meaningful local engagement before site decisions were made.

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Court Injunction and Enforcement Notice Expose Unauthorised Works at Oakwood South

31 March 2026

AMASS welcomes a Section 160 court injunction sought by four residents and Enforcement Notice (EN25/202) from Galway County Council against Kings Valley Farm Ltd for unauthorised land clearance near Recorded Monument GA027-08, access track creation, and stone crushing. National Monuments Service confirmed works lacked authorisation under National Monuments (Amendment) Act 1994, contradicting PCRE's public statement.

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AMASS Challenges The Journal FactCheck on Battery Storage Safety

24 March 2026

AMASS submitted a formal rebuttal to The Journal's FactCheck on BESS risks, identifying omission of peer-reviewed evidence on heavy metal contamination from the Moss Landing BESS fire, no reference to EPRI failure event database used by fire services, and confirmation from Irish agencies that no BESS safety oversight, emergency planning or incident records exist in Ireland. Requested formal corrections and right of reply.

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AMASS Disputes Belville Consultation Claims

12 March 2026

AMASS letter to Galway County Council disputes Gravis Planning's "best practice" consultation claims for Belville Solar Project, documenting notification failures to affected residents, breached pre-planning commitments from 10 June 2025 meeting, selective resident contact, and developer evasion of governance questions. Requests full consultation record be placed on planning file for An Coimisiún Pleanála.

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AMASS Responds to Irish Independent Column on Galway Solar Opposition

3 March 2026

AMASS issued a formal response to Irish Independent column by David W Higgins characterising rural opposition to large-scale solar and BESS as threat to energy security. Challenges dismissal of community concerns, highlights documented lithium battery fire incidents, and raises serious questions on emergency preparedness and regulatory oversight for utility-scale BESS in Galway.

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AMASS Highlights BESS Regulatory Gaps in Solar Planning

2 December 2025

AMASS thanks An Taisce for Oireachtas testimony on solar project governance while stressing critical omission: lack of dedicated BESS regulation. Calls attention to cumulative risk, emergency response gaps, and community notification failings, urging An Taisce to explicitly advocate for robust oversight of solar plus BESS developments in Ireland.

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AMASS Challenges IFA Over Solar Project Policy Failures

2 December 2025

AMASS issues formal notice to IFA condemning Joint Oireachtas Committee submission for ignoring farmland loss, community division, property devaluation, and BESS safety risks. Demands statutory consultation, prime farmland protection, robust national BESS regulation, and reassessment of Ireland's solar targets given data centre–driven land pressures.

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AMASS Warns An Taisce of Solar Sprawl & Planning Failures

12 November 2025

AMASS briefs An Taisce's CEO on systemic governance failures exposed by PCRE's Bellville Solar Project proposal. Details collapse of proper planning under Galway's LARES framework, national crisis of uncontrolled solar sprawl from data-centre demand, and absence of BESS risk regulation. Invites partnership on planning observations, public statements, and strategic intervention.

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AMASS Formally Rejects PCRE's Pattern of Bad Faith

29 October 2025

AMASS returns PCRE's letter "for lawful causes," citing continued bad faith and failure to address four core stakeholder engagement questions from August. The response reiterates six binding prerequisites for future dialogue and warns that further evasive correspondence will be treated as vexatious and forwarded to planning authorities.

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PCRE's Continuing Pattern of Bad Faith

28 October 2025

PCRE sidesteps AMASS's formal termination and documented concerns entirely, confirming zero interest in meaningful engagement. Instead focusing on tokenism and box-ticking, this letter has been returned for lawful causes.

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AMASS Terminates Correspondence

24 October 2025

AMASS formally ends engagement with PCRE after three months of evasive correspondence, accusing PCRE of systematic bad faith, breach of ISEA guidance, and contempt for affected residents regarding notification, archaeological heritage protection, and transparency failures.

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PCRE Dismissive Response

17 October 2025

PCRE's shortest, most dismissive response reiterates offer to meet and promises a second public event "as soon as we have completed preparation of site layout," framing consultation as conditional on AMASS accepting private meetings.

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AMASS holds PCRE to account for engagement failures

10 October 2025

AMASS criticises PCRE for patronising the community, refusing to answer basic stakeholder questions, providing inconsistent project information, breaching ISEA best practice guidance, and failing to protect archaeological heritage. Demands fully public, transparent, on-the-record consultation before any further engagement.

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PCRE doesn't want to meet community

06 October 2025

PCRE continues dodging simple questions and refuses to meet with the full community. The letter repeats an offer to meet AMASS committee but provides no real answers, showing engagement is largely PR-focused.

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AMASS Letter on BESS Safety

02 October 2025

AMASS raises urgent concerns on rapid BESS deployment near residential areas. Requests clarity on national safety standards, emergency preparedness, incident reporting, and community protection. Highlights serious fire and chemical hazards, urging NDFEM to ensure robust safety measures and public awareness.

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AMASS Response to PCRE

29 September 2025

This letter formally rejects PCRE's failure to engage meaningfully with the full community. Highlights promotional materials circulated without consultation, improper use of private email addresses, and need for transparency. Demands substantive answers to four critical stakeholder questions within seven days plus confirmation of fully public, inclusive engagement.

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PCRE continues to dodge the simple questions

19 September 2025

PCRE continues dodging AMASS's repeatedly raised questions. Despite claiming commitment to engage, the letter offers only a meeting and highlights project benefits without addressing key stakeholder concerns, showing PR-focused rather than substantive engagement.

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Letter to Power Capital Renewable Energy

12 September 2025

AMASS expresses deep concern over PCRE's dismissive tone and conditional demands, highlighting failures in meaningful consultation, notification, and community impact. Demands comprehensive answers within five working days and stresses serious harm caused by PCRE's local engagement approach.

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Press Release Vandalism of Signs

7 September 2025

AMASS issued a press release condemning vandalism of community signage opposing the Bellville Solar Project and reaffirming commitment to a respectful, fact-based campaign.

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Letter from PCRE

1 September 2025

PCRE's letter attempts to portray consultation as thorough but underplays significant failures acknowledged by residents and elected representatives. Adopting a confrontational tone, it demands withdrawal of criticisms and brands the community dishonest, failing to address poor notification, limited consultation notice, and growing social tensions.

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Letter to Minister O'Brien

23 August 2025

AMASS wrote to Minister O'Brien highlighting serious safety concerns about the proposed Bellville Solar Project, urging immediate review and regulatory oversight.

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Letter to Power Capital Renewable Energy

22 August 2025

AMASS issued a formal letter to PCRE highlighting fundamental failures in stakeholder engagement for the proposed Bellville Solar Project. Demands immediate remedial action and transparent consultation before any planning application proceeds.

View Letter