Wind energy guidelines
Deputy Troy criticised the failure to update the 2006 wind energy guidelines and said communities needed certainty and statutory protections. The Taoiseach said he would ask the housing and climate ministers to reply to the Deputy.
For seven years, the Government and its predecessor have shirked their responsibility to bring forward proposals for updating the wind energy guidelines of 2006. Many local communities are living in fear of pending planning applications. They are concerned about the lack of public consultation and engagement with communities and the fact that the guidelines have not been put on a statutory footing. We know that the two Labour Party Ministers in the previous Government could not agree on what needed to be done. Can the two Ministers in the current Government agree on what needs to be done? When will legislation be in place governing planning applications for wind farms?
