Waterford City & County Council is considering a massive planning application (Ref: 2560625) on the former cheese factory site in Kilmeaden, covering 108 hectares.

The plan is presented as a “mixed use village centre,” but while it does include a small supermarket, apartments, childcare and community facilities, these are dwarfed by the industrial-scale elements:

 

 

• 3 huge ICT/data centre buildings (24,033 m² each, 19.8m high, with flues up to 25m).
• An energy centre with 16 gas turbines, 7 generators, and stacks almost 30m high.
• 2 large warehouses and multiple ancillary plant buildings.
• A solar farm with 43,056 panels and a 6,682 m² battery energy storage compound.
• A new access road and bridge, 441 car parking spaces, and HGV traffic flows.

This scale is utterly inappropriate for a rural village and will:

• Create noise, vibration, and air emissions harmful to residents
• Cause light pollution and solar glare, impacting homes and road safety.
• Increase traffic and congestion, especially on the R680 and R681.
• Damage Kilmeaden’s rural character, biodiversity, and landscape.
• Lock us into fossil fuels with 16 gas turbines for decades.

Kilmeaden needs development at a village scale, not to be redefined as an industrial energy and data hub.

We call on Waterford City & County Council to:

• Refuse permission for planning application 2560625 in its entirety.
• Protect Kilmeaden’s community, environment, and heritage.

How you can make the difference:

✍️ Please sign and share this petition to make your voice heard. Together, we can protect Kilmeaden for future generations.

⚠️ Most importantly, please also lodge your personal objection with Waterford City & County Council before the deadline of 12th October.

You can do this by:

• 📧 Emailing your objection (with your name, address, phone number, and the planning reference 2560625) to:planning@waterfordcouncil.ie
  (The planning office will phone you for the €20 statutory fee.)
• 🌐 Online: via the ePlanning Portal,
• ✉️ By Post: to the Planning Department, Menapia Building, The Mall, Waterford
• 🏢 In Person: at the Planning Office (Menapia Building, The Mall, Waterford)

📄To make it easy, we’ve created an Objection Pack with:

• Step-by-step guide
• Short objection letter template
• Comprehensive objection letter template

👉 Download the full pack here:  Kilmeaden Objection Pack (Google Drive)