Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 2 July 2019
683. Deputy Darragh O'Brien asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if there is a maximum permissible length for solar panels to be installed on commercial and residential buildings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27467/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, all development, unless specifically exempted under the Act or associated Regulations, requires planning permission. Section 4 of the Act and Schedule 2 of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001, as amended, set out various exemptions from the requirement to obtain planning permission. Any such exemptions are subject to compliance with any general restrictions on exemptions set out in the Act or the Regulations and to the specific conditions set out in each class of exempted development in Schedule 2 of the Regulations.
With regard to exemptions for solar panels, Class 2 of Part 1 of Schedule 2 of the Regulations provides an exemption for "the installation or erection of a solar panel on, or within the curtilage of a house or any buildings within the curtilage of a house", subject to certain siting and size conditions including that 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".
Class 56 of Part 1 of Schedule 2 of the Regulations provides an exemption for "the installation or erection on a business premises or light industrial building, or any ancillary buildings within the curtilage of such premises or building, of solar panels (thermal collector or photo-voltaic) subject to certain siting and size conditions including, that "the total aperture area of any such panels, taken together with any other such panels previously placed on or within the said curtilage, shall not exceed 50 square metres or 50% of the total roof area, whichever is the lesser". Additional exemptions also exist under Class 56 for industrial buildings and associated ancillary buildings.
Furthermore, Class 18 of Part 3 of Schedule 2 of the Regulations provides an exemption for "the installation or erection on an agricultural structure, or within the curtilage of an agricultural holding, of solar panels (thermal collector or photo-voltaic)", again subject to a number of conditions.
It is important to note that the total aperture area of a solar panel is only one of many conditions attached to these exempted development provisions.
Any development which falls outside of the conditions for exemption are subject to the planning process and as such are matters for individual planning authorities and An Bord Pleanála.
My Department is currently undertaking a review of the solar panel exemptions, in consultation with the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment and other key stakeholders, with a view to bringing forward amending Regulations, as may be required - for example, to reflect technical developments in the sector - in the latter part of 2019. As required under Planning legislation, any such proposed exempted development regulations must be laid in draft form before the Houses of the Oireachtas and receive a positive resolution from both Houses before they can be made.
