Submission from the Office of the Planning Regulator (Submission No 426)
Issues / Recommendations / Observations
Chief Executive’s Resp onse & Recommendation
The policy approach to whether wind energy is open for consideration within the planning authority area is contradictory between sections 11.245 to 11.250, section 10.3.4 and land use zoning objective ZO 2. Policy on other renewable energy types and Chapter 9 Environmental Infrastructure (s.9.10 and objective 9.14) could also be expanded. It is noted that no renewable energy strategy (RES) is attached to the draft Plan, although the draft Plan’s support of the preparation of a regional RES is noted. No renewable energy targets have been included in the draft Plan. Although the planning authority has a relatively small functional area, it is obliged to implement the SPPR of the Interim Guidelines for Planning Authorities on Statutory Plans, Renewable Energy and Climate Change and Wind Energy Development Guidelines 2006 – Update on Review (July 2017). This requires the Plan to include renewable energy targets having regard to national targets under the Climate Action Plan 2019 (now 2021). Recommendation 10 - Renewable Energy In accordance with the provisions of section 28(1C) of the Act, the planning authority is required to amend the draft development plan in order to fully implement the Specific Planning Policy Requirement contained the Interim Guidelines for Planning Authorities on Statutory Plans, Renewable Energy and Climate Change, including: (i) Suitably supportive policy objectives, such as the identification of areas through sieve mapping where larger scale renewable energy projects would be acceptable in principle; and (ii) Identify how the Plan over its effective period will contribute to realising overall national targets on renewable energy and climate
to up to 80% by 2030, including an increased target of up to 5 Gigawatts for offshore wind energy. Renewable energy is a cross-cutting theme which feeds into a number of chapters in the Draft Plan, most notably Chapter 5 Climate Change and Environment, which deals with Renewable and Low Carbon Energy including standalone sustainable energy generation projects and district heating opportunities; Chapter 9 Environmental Infrastructure, which sets out the strategic policy context for renewable energy and more detailed development management standards set out in Chapter 11 Placemaking and Managing Development. The submission from the OPR states that no renewable energy strategy or renewable energy targets have been attached to the Draft Plan. However Cork City Council’s Sus tainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (SECAP) 2018 is referenced and linked in Chapter 9. Renewable energy policy and particularly specific targets are rapidly evolving at the moment, with national targets recently revised in light of the 2021 Climate Action Plan. The Southern Regional Assembly is currently preparing a Regional Renewable Energy Strategy, which the City Council will engage with as stated in Section 9.20 of the Draft Plan. The national Climate Action Plan also includes provision for revisin g the SEAI’s Methodology for Local Authority Renewable Energy Strategies (LARES), with input from relevant bodies, to provide a best practice approach to identifying and assessing renewable energy resources in spatial planning at local authority level. Cor k City Council’s current plan is the 2018 SECAP referenced above, however it does not have a full Renewable Energy Strategy with specific targets set out. An objective will be included in Chapter 9 to input into the SEAI’s revised methodology and for the preparation of a LARES for the City in due course, which will deal more effectively with this issue, including the more ambitious targets now required. The Climate Action Plan further states that based on the indicative targets for onshore wind energy and grid-scale solar deployment, the Department of the
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