Planning Issues

Wednesday, 16 January 2013

Questions (622)

Damien English

Question:

622. Deputy Damien English asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the position regarding the installation of solar photovoltaic cells on residential housing units; his plans to amend current planning guidelines and-or introduce legislative measures to allow for additional PV cells to be installed at households greater than the current restrictions allow; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57773/12]

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Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government

Statutory Instrument No. 83 of 2007 (Planning and Development Regulations 2007) introduced an exemption from the requirement to obtain planning permission for solar panels on a house or on any building within the curtilage of a house. The exemption is subject to certain conditions and limitations, as set out in the table below. The exemption was introduced following public consultation. While I have no plans to change the Regulations at the present time, the matter will be kept under review.

Table

Column 1:Exemption	Column 2: Conditions and limitations
The installation or erection of a solar panel on or within the curtilage of a house or any buildings within the curtilage of house.	1. The total aperture area of any such panel, taken together with any other such panel previously placed on or within the said curtilage shall not exceed 12 square metres or 50% of the total roof area whichever is the lesser.
	2. The distance between the plane of the wall or a pitched roof and the panel shall not exceed 15 centimetres.
	3. The distance between the plane of a flat roof and the panel shall not exceed 50 centimetres.
	4. The solar panel shall be a minimum of 50cm from any edge of the wall or roof on which it is mounted.
	5. The height of a free-standing solar array shall not exceed 2 metres, at its highest point, above ground level.
	6. A free-standing solar array shall not be placed on or forward of the front wall of a house.
	7. The erection of any free standing solar array shall not reduce the area of private open space, reserved exclusively for the use of the occupants of the house, to the rear or to the side of the house to less than 25 square metres.