Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Court proceedings commenced in the High Court this morning in a case taken by Element Power against An Bord Pleanála in respect of a wind farm application in County Kildare. This issue is of grave concern to the people I represent and many others in other counties. The previous Government committed to reviewing and updating the wind energy guidelines for planning five years ago. The current guidelines, which date from 2006, are obsolete as they do not take into account the serious concerns of communities, particularly in respect of noise, shadow flicker and distance from homes. People in my county are especially concerned because we have a strong equine industry. When will the new guidelines be published? The Government should impose a moratorium on all such applications while we await the updated guidelines.

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