Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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1038.To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will provide details on how planning decisions will be made for proposed offshore wind farm schemes; if the relationship is between An Bord Pleanála and MARA during this process; the details of the way the appeals process will work in these cases; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31303/24]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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An Bord Pleanála (the Board) is the national independent statutory body with responsibility for the determination of planning appeals and direct applications for strategic infrastructure, including offshore wind energy projects, and other developments under the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, and certain other Acts.

Prior to making a maritime area planning application for permission for development to An Bord Pleanála, a prospective applicant must enter into consultations with the Board as required under section 287 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended.

For the purposes of the proposed development, the prospective applicant is required to be in possession of a maritime area consent for the occupation of a maritime site, as determined by the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA) under the provisions of the Maritime Area Planning Act 2021, as amended, or been granted a licence under the Foreshore Act 1933.

As part of the consultations, it is open to the prospective applicant to request a meeting with the Board for its opinion on design options in relation to the application. This is set out in section 287A and 287B of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended.