Ireland

Local authorities across the capital have jointly unveiled ambitious climate action plans. They aim to cut carbon emissions by 40 per cent by 2040 and achieve a 33 per cent improvement in energy efficiency of their buildings by 2020.

Conservationists are concerned about changes to the regulatory regime for commercial peat extraction that have just come into force. They exempt schemes involving an area of more than 30 hectares from the requirement to obtain planning permission.

Ireland’s green power companies have confirmed to The Planner that they want an urgent meeting with the defence minister over draft proposals from the Air Corps which, the sector claims, risk making nearly 30 per cent of the country a ‘no-go’ area for wind turbines.

A round-up of planning news in Ireland: 19 January-25 January, 2019