Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I raised this matter on 15 November 2016. The need for solar farms to have planning guidelines is an important issue in so many locations throughout Ireland and it affects most local authorities. It is becoming very important because we have had 225 planning applications for solar farms throughout Ireland in the past 24 months. This issue needs to be dealt with and is one of the core issues relating to our renewable energy policy. We have targets we hope to meet by 2020. Renewable energy is a very important part if we are to reach those targets and solar farms will play a role in that. How big the role will be will be determined in many ways by Government policy. In particular, I note the White Paper on energy that was published a few years' ago.

We need national Government to move into the frame and put planning guidelines in place so that communities, developers and local authorities have the ability to plan around the national guidelines. There is frustration among local authorities, developers, communities and even An Bord Pleanála about the lack of that national framework. We have seen some decisions that have been made in the past few months. An Bord Pleanála famously stated at the start of the year that it was extremely worried about the sudden wave of applications coming forward without national guidelines. We have seen decisions by local authorities, one only a few weeks ago, where planning permission was refused because of the lack of national guidelines. Everybody is saying that there is a lack of such guidelines. Communities, developers and local authorities would welcome them. It is a very important sector but it needs to be regulated. In so many ways we are over-regulated but in this area we are looking for a Department to bring forward guidelines.To me, they are essential if we are to have proper, sustainable development. The real guideline is that a developer sees a generation station or substation in a location and knows that it is the location where it would be more financially beneficial for him or her to locate a solar farm. It has nothing to do with planning guidelines, quality of soil or the level of the land. These are big issues that we need to consider. A total of 225 planning applications went through the system without these guidelines and there are more coming. There is a wave of them coming. Until there is clarity on tariffs, we will continue to have a wave. That is an issue the Minister, Deputy Denis Naughten, needs to clarify at some stage.

I raised this issue on 15 November and have seen very little progress since. I raised it with the Minister on 7 December and have seen very little progress since. I am raising it again now, nearly one year later. In many ways, this is the time we need planning guidelines to be put in place in order that the local authorities which have to make decisions will have the ability to make fair decisions. At present, it is a case of one decision at a time. That is not good for renewables policy, planners or residents.