Ms Anne Marie O'Connor:

Mr. O'Leary has identified a number of those in his contribution. From our experience, we would have come across a large number of inconsistencies across county boundaries. For example, on one side of a boundary, there would be an area that is open for consideration for renewable energy and, on the other side, in the same landscape, that is not permissible. There is also the visibility around that. It is very hard when we are trying to patch things together. What we need is a common blank canvas, so to speak, so we can appropriately layer and compare things. The data and GIS information around all of these matters are going to be key.

That is also why the regional perspective is important. It should not just be a matter for the individual local authority. The regional approach, particularly with regard to renewables, will be critical in delivery. The problem with it is that it requires more time and we do not necessarily have more time. That is something. The immediacy of this issue needs to be underlined. It is also about trying to get things up and running as best we can at the moment rather than just waiting for the perfect situation to arise, which is one of the things that has delayed the delivery of the wind energy guidelines. We just need to get on and do it.