Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I was one of those who made a submission. The very fact there was this level of interest shows that people wanted ground rules before there was to be large and industrial-scale wind farms, for which there are already applications in place. Part of the reason people made submissions was to ensure there was a basis and yet major applications have gone in. One application, for example, straddling a number of counties, including County Kildare, has gone to An Bord Pleanála under strategic developments. I would have thought that if something was a strategic development, the Minister would actually set out a basis for it. The guidelines are the very least that should be required. I accept that the matter is complex, the Minister wants to get it right and there are technical matters. The problem is that events are overtaking us in terms of planning applications and there is extreme urgency in getting this concluded.

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