An Bord Pleanála has refused planning permission for a wind farm near Dunkineely over fears that construction could lead to landslides and water pollution.

Eco Wind Power Limited was granted planning permission by Donegal County Council for the nine-turbine wind farm in the townlands of Corkermore and Meenadreen, eight kms north of Dunkineely, 7.5 kms east of Ardara and 7.5kms north-east of Killybegs.

The board overturned the decision after the granting of planning was recommended by An Bord Pleanala's own inspector who recommended the development go ahead with 21 conditions. The inspector gave the go-ahead because of the general suitability of the site for wind power electricity generation, the absence of amenity or conservation designations and the distance from existing housing.

But the granting of planning permission was appealed by the Heatley-Mulhall family and others who live in the vicinity of the site. Among the objections were the proximity of the windfarm to domestic dwellings and the devaluation of homes with one home just 600 metres from the proposed windfarm.

An Bord Pleanála was asked to examine the decision in the light of article eight of the European Human Rights Convention which addresses the right to privacy in home and family life.

Accepting the appeal the board referred to the findings of the Peat Slide Risk Assessment which found that there was a significant depth of peat on the site and that the consistency of the peat was extremely weak across the site.

The board said construction of the proposed development could pose "an unacceptable risk of peat failure and landslide in the area of the site, with consequential risk of water pollution in the area".