Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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56. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the proposals he has to amend the planning regulations for forestry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28620/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The principal Planning and Development Regulations 2001 were amended in September 2011, by the Planning and Development (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2011, to provide that initial afforestation shall be exempted development.

This activity is exempted from the requirement to obtain planning permission, as it is subject to a separate statutory development consent system under the European Communities (Forest Consent and Assessment) Regulations 2010, administered by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

I have no proposals to further amend the Planning and Development Regulations 2001, as amended, in this regard.