Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy raised as a Topical Issue the very general issue of set-back distances. He has now specifically raised an issue in Westmeath. While I will answer the general point, I wish to point out that the directive is a draft directive and not a final directive. As there is an ongoing process with the local authority, I will not comment further on that specific issue at this point.

I thank the Deputy for raising this Topical Issue. As he will recall from our previous debate, I commenced a public consultation on 11 December 2013 on proposed draft revisions to the existing 2006 wind energy development guidelines focusing specifically on the issues of noise, set-back and shadow flicker.

The draft revisions propose the setting of a more stringent absolute noise limit, day and night, of 40 decibels for future wind energy developments. This limit is an outdoor limit - in general the reduction of noise levels between the outside of a dwelling and inside would be approximately 10 decibels. The draft revisions propose a mandatory set-back distance of 500 m between a wind turbine and the nearest dwelling for amenity considerations. The draft revisions propose that a condition be attached to all future planning permissions for wind farms to ensure there will be no shadow flicker at any dwelling within ten rotor diameters of a wind turbine. If shadow flicker does occur, the wind energy developer or operator will be required to take necessary measures, such as turbine shut down for the period necessary, to eliminate the shadow flicker.

It is important to emphasise that the mandatory setback of 500 m is for amenity considerations, including visual amenity, and is not proposed as a noise control measure. To ensure an evidence-based approach to this issue, Marshall Day Acoustics, which has previously assisted the Australian and New Zealand governments in their reviews on wind energy, was commissioned to prepare a study on wind noise, which was a significant input into this review. Marshall Day Acoustics recommended that an absolute noise limit be strongly considered as a noise control method rather than set-back. On the issue of set-back, Marshall Day stated:

The relationship between distance from a wind turbine or wind farm and noise effects is significant, and there is little means of future proofing when specifying minimum set back distances. In this respect, setbacks therefore have the potential to either over-protect or under-protect wind farm neighbours. It is therefore recommended that setbacks are not used as a control method [on their own].

Therefore, on the basis of the technical advice received, the draft guidelines address the issue of noise control through a more stringent absolute noise limit, day and night, of 40 decibels for future wind energy developments, combined with a minimum set-back distance requirement of 500 m for amenity considerations, including visual amenity. The proposed noise limit takes into account both the World Health Organization findings on night-time noise and the review of international practice undertaken by Marshall Day Acoustics.

More than 7,000 submissions have been received in my Department on the draft revisions to the wind energy development guidelines during the public consultation phase, a substantial number of which were on the issue of set-back distances, and I will certainly give these views careful consideration prior to finalising the revisions to the guidelines.

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