Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I refer to the significant step-change in the technology of wind farms throughout the country which is causing considerable anxiety and concern among communities everywhere. The development of wind farms is causing widespread public concern in rural areas, scaring communities and causing large divisions in many areas for which major proposals are being prepared. The 2006 guidelines now in place on wind farm developments are totally out of date given that the height of wind turbines at the time was 50m to 60m. The current proposals for turbines suggest heights of up to 180m or more.

The adequacy of set-back distances from residential homes to safeguard against noise and shadow flicker is of particular concern to rural communities. Shortly after wind turbines began to be erected close to housing, complaints emerged of adverse effects on health. Sleep disturbance was the principal complaint. These reports were commonly dismissed as subjective and anecdotal but there is now a growing body of medical and other evidence detailing these concerns. In March 2012, for example, the British Medical Journal published a peer-reviewed editorial on wind turbine noise. The editorial is very clear about the health risks involved and calls for an independent review of existing evidence and guidance on acceptable noise levels. It also calls on governments to ensure that the public will not suffer harm from the additional ambient noise that results from the inappropriate siting of turbines. This information clearly confirms there now is a large body of evidence which suggests that wind turbines disturb sleep and impair health. The Governments of Canada, the UK and Denmark have undertaken, or are undertaking, major policy changes to take effect of the health implications of wind turbines.

The health impacts are not the only concern as the loss of landscape character and general amenity which form the cornerstone of the tourism industry in rural Ireland, most especially in areas like my county, Donegal, is a very sensitive issue in respect of wind turbine development. The visual impact of such major developments in sensitive areas and environments can seriously undermine the local tourism product. As we all know, growth in tourism has given substantial increase in employment in the past 18 months or so and the sector is showing signs of improvement.

During the summer the Government began the process of carrying out a strategic environmental assessment nationally to identify areas suitable for the development of wind projects intended for the exporting of electricity.

These are substantial international projects. I am sure there has been collaboration between the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources and the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government on the issue. Can the Minister provide information in respect of the criteria to be used for that assessment, who will conduct the surveys, the level of public consultation to be undertaken and if communities will be involved in the process?

Rural communities have had to acquire their own independent experts to interpret and evaluate applications made by multinational millionaire developers and developments in the planning system. As a result of their efforts, many of the developments approved by local authorities, through the planning process, have fallen short when scrutinised by An Bord Pleanála. A prime example of this can be found in my constituency where the local community volunteers came together, at great cost to themselves, and objected to a planning application approved by Donegal County Council. Eventually they won, as did openness and transparency but at great financial cost to the individuals concerned. I pay tribute to those individuals.

The level of competency and assessment in these applications is seriously in question particularly in terms of how noise impact is assessed and EU directives on the environment have not been adhered to. The European Court of Justice has made a number of rulings against Ireland relating to the country's failure to implement environmental directives and the environmental impact assessment directive which governs these applications. Rural communities are entitled to expect that the Government will make provision in planning guidelines for wind farms for their protective well-being and consideration of the societal impact in terms of socio-economic factors, tourism, cohesiveness of communities and the attractiveness of the areas in which they live.

Development such as wind farms have the potential to seriously undermine the substantive basis of which these rural communities survive and prosper. There remains a fundamental absence of transparency governing these developments. There is an absence of consultation with local residents and local communities and above all, there is an absence of a legislative framework to deal with the step-change in technology and scale of developments currently being processed and developed throughout the country by multinational and multimillionaire developers.

The Government must provide for proper public consultation for communities to have their voice heard and concerns addressed on the changes being proposed by the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources through the SEA assessment. This is also a planning issue which is governed by the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. Given that widespread concern has been expressed throughout the country by communities in Donegal, the midlands and other parts I call on the Minister to initiate a process in the Department of the Environment where a moratorium would be introduced immediately banning each local authority from granting planning permission to any wind farm development until such time as new and up-to-date guidelines are in place, taking cognisance of the British Medical Journal report. The governments of Canada, the UK and Denmark have undertaken to update their legislative frameworks given the health implications for local communities. We must protect the interests of local communities over multibillionaire developers. It is time we stood up for the communities represented in the House and not international interests who come here only to reap the financial gains which they can make from such development.