Wind farm guidelines consultation
Deputy John Brassil seeks a timetable for wind farm planning guidelines and asks that draft rules bind planning bodies in the meantime. Minister Naughten says consultation is under way and the final guidelines will be issued in the new year.
I want to raise the programme for Government with the Minister, Deputy Naughten.
The draft guidelines on wind farm policy were published in June. What is the timescale for receiving submissions on these guidelines and for the drawing up of the actual guidelines? In the meantime, will the Minister provide assurances that all council planning authorities and An Bord Pleanála are bound to implement, at the very least, what is in the draft guidelines until such time as formal guidelines are introduced by way of legislation?
Comment on this
The guidelines are out for consultation. A formal public consultation will take place next month and we are looking forward to seeing the submissions on that. The guidelines will become official in the new year. We have moved away from the set-back issue, which only deals with the distance to the nearest turbine, to that of noise. This has an impact in respect of the scale of wind farms in particular communities. This is a far broader definition and meets World Health Organization standards. We are looking forward to seeing the submissions. I understand that the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, has issued a letter to each local authority on the guidelines.