Sir, - The Supreme Court’s quashing of a planning decision to refuse permission for a wind farm in Co Laois on the grounds that climate obligations were “real, effective, and if necessary enforceable” and created a “legal standard which must be complied with by a relevant body” is to be welcomed (“Decision to refuse permission for Laois wind farm to be quashed after court judgment,” February 4th).
The Supreme Court ruling makes it clear that county council planners and An Coimisiún Pleanála are required to consider whether the climate benefits of proposed developments justify the granting of permission.
This consideration should extend to all planning applications, including those for new one-off housing in the countryside and those which consolidate our much-neglected rural towns and villages. Scattered rural housing has much higher emissions.
People in isolated rural homes typically drive much more - for work, shopping, schools, healthcare, social activities, etc, and car dependency is almost total. The infrastructure deficiency means extending electricity, water, sewage, roads, and broadband networks to dispersed locations, which requires more materials and energy per household. Maintenance and repair also involve more travel (think Storm Éowyn).
READ MORE
We need more wind farms, but we need more joined up thinking across all our infrastructure projects, regardless of size, if we are to meet our obligations to the climate, the environment, and to future generations. - Yours, etc,
Chris Garvey,
Glasnevin,
Dublin 9.
