Irishplanningnews.ie

The draft Revisions to the 2006 Wind Energy Development Guidelines are now out for consultation with submissions being sought by February 21st 2014.
The revisions are quite specific focusing on noise and shadow flicker with the remainder of the guidelines to remain unchanged.
The revised noise and shadow flicker sections of the Wind Energy Development Guidelines being put out for public consultation today proposes;

The setting of a more stringent absolute noise limit (day and night) of 40 decibels (dB) for future wind energy developments. This limit is an outdoor limit, in general the reduction of noise levels between the outside of a dwelling and inside would be approximately 10 decibels.

A mandatory setback of 500 metres between a wind turbine and the nearest dwelling for amenity considerations.

A condition be attached to all future planning permissions for wind farms to ensure that there will be no shadow flicker at any dwelling within 10 rotor diameters of a wind turbine. If shadow flicker does occur, the wind energy developer or operator will be required to take necessary measures, such as turbine shut down for the period necessary, to eliminate the shadow flicker.

The guidelines are intended to finalised next year.

The Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, in conjunction with the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, intends to undertake a technical update of the guidance on noise (including separation distance) and shadow flicker in the Wind Energy Development Guidelines 2006.

It is understood that a Private Members Bill is currently proposing increasing the setback from houses from 500 metres to as much as 2 kilometres to protect residential amenity.  This increased setback would restrict wind farm development to only a small portion of the country suitable wind farm development.

Comments are invited by the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government on these aspects of the Guidelines before February 15th, 2013.