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

I thank Senator Kelly for raising the issue. I am aware that he has a keen interest in this area.

The wind energy development guidelines of June 2006 provide advice to planning authorities on catering for wind energy through the development plan process. The guidelines are also intended to ensure consistency of approach throughout the country in the identification of suitable locations for wind energy development and the treatment of planning applications for such developments. To ensure that Ireland continues to meet its renewable energy targets and, at the same time, that wind energy does not have negative impacts on local communities, my Department, in conjunction with the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources and other stakeholders, is undertaking a targeted review of certain aspects of the wind energy guidelines of 2006. This focused review will examine the manner in which the guidelines address key issues of community concern such as noise and proximity.

All statutory planning guidelines issue first in draft form for a public consultation over a period of a couple of months. Once the consultation period is closed the submissions received on the draft guidelines are considered and taken into account in the final form of the guidelines. The draft guidelines will, like all other new or revised guidelines, be subject to extensive public consultation for a period of six weeks to two months. The indicative timetable for the publication of the draft guidelines is quarter three or quarter four of 2013.

Planning is a dynamic policy area and there are over 25 sets of ministerial policy guidance in place at present, including the guidance on wind energy developments. At any given time my Department is therefore likely either to be in the process of updating existing guidance or developing new guidance. Typically, there is a lead-in period of several months between publication of draft guidance for public consultation and the publication of final guidance taking account of the submissions received. Examples of recent such processes include updated statutory guidance on retail planning in April 2012, development contributions in January 2013 and guidance on carrying out environmental impact assessment in March 2013. The imposition of a moratorium on retail development, the levying of development contributions or development requiring environmental impact assessment pending publication of the final guidance would clearly have been inappropriate. Therefore, I do not believe it either appropriate or necessary to impose a moratorium on planning applications for wind energy development at this time.