Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Solar farms have been called for over many years. We can certainly review the terminology if that is what the Deputy wants but it is not the case that thousands of planning applications have been granted or applied for. There is a good deal of speculation about that and, as such, this area is speculation-led. The policy in this area is put in place in conjunction with the two Departments, and it is something we carefully monitor. There is not a great demand for guidelines on this issue. We will certainly give guidance to planning authorities but our planning department works with planners from every local authority on a daily basis and consults with them on these issues.

An Bord Pleanála is separate and independent from our Department. When we decide, in conjunction with the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, that there is a need for planning guidelines in this area we will certainly do that, but we do not believe that need has been proven yet. These decisions are still best made locally. That is what local planners do: they make the best decision on these individual site applications as they come forward, as they do with many large-scale developments. Local council members set the planning and development guidelines in their own areas, in conjunction with national policy, and that works quite well in the majority of cases.

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