Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 July 2014
538. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the reason the draft guidelines for wind energy recommend a noise level much higher than that recommended by the World Health Organization (details supplied); the steps he will take to ensure the WHO criteria will be fully incorporated into the final version of the draft guidelines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29649/14]
View answer543. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 476 to 480, inclusive, of 17 June 2014 and the assertion therein that the draft revisions of the wind energy guidelines take into account the 2009 World Health Organization's findings regarding night time noise, the way this is so, when the WHO identified the following: that the population should not be exposed to night noise levels greater than 40 dB of Lnight outside, as measured on the LAeq noise measurement indicator; that it should be possible to sleep with a bedroom window slightly open (a reduction from outside to inside of 15 dB); when the noise is composed of a large proportion of low frequency sounds a still lower guideline value is recommended; and when assessing the effects of environmental noise on people it is relevant to consider the importance of background noise level, because the draft guidelines fail to give effect to those four fundamental WHO criteria; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29773/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 538 and 543 together.
My Department published draft revisions to the Wind Energy Development Guidelines on 11 December 2013 and commenced a period of public consultation which concluded on 21 February 2014. A stringent absolute outdoor noise limit (day and night) of 40 decibels for future wind energy developments has been proposed in these draft revisions to the Guidelines.
This proposed fixed limit takes into account the World Health Organisation's 2009 Night Noise Guidelines for Europe recommended targets in relation to night time noise, and the 2013 review of international practice on wind noise undertaken by Marshall Day Acoustics. The Marshall Day Acoustics review recommended that on balance, it is considered that absolute noise limits offer the potential to provide comparable or better levels of amenity protection than the combined noise limits in the existing 2006 Wind Energy Development Guidelines.
My Department is currently considering the submissions received during the public consultation period. A combined or relative noise limit and the usage of the L A90 noise measurement indicator will be reviewed as part of this process.
