A Concept Methodology to Assist the Spatial Planning of Wind Energy in Ireland
Landscape is a key consideration in selecting wind energy development sites and a key determinant in the planning process, whether a proposed wind farm or any other type of large-scale infrastructure development is deemed appropriate in a particular location. There is no national landscape policy that can be easily used as a screening tool in quantifying the country’s future onshore wind potential or objectively determining the sensitivity to proposed wind farm sites relative to the rest of the country.
Building on an earlier working concept methodology, MKO has undertaken this Landscape Sensitivity Calibration exercise as a research project and prepared this report to demonstrate how landscape sensitivity could guide wind farm development to the most appropriate locations nationally and regionally.
The need for rapid decarbonisation of the Irish economy via the deployment of renewable technologies such as wind energy is clearly outlined in Government policy and national and European legislation. These international and national targets and obligations have frequently run into the barrier of local landscape policy, in the absence of a coherent national or regional approach to classifying landscape sensitivity to development, such as wind energy. Other critical, strategic infrastructure developments, from overhead electricity transmission lines to expanded rail corridors to large-scale water pipelines, must also navigate the disjointed policy landscape that is the landscape policy.
This Landscape Sensitivity Calibration exercise by MKO, incorporating the assignment of landscape sensitivities to wind energy in this report, is a concept only, intended as an example output of a suggested methodology, which may be further advanced, modified and refined. This report is intended to demonstrate that determining coherent regional landscape sensitivity classifications for wind energy development is possible and can be achieved within a faster timeframe than would be required to revise or carry out comprehensive landscape character assessments on a county-by-county basis, or an entirely new national landscape character assessment, thereby potentially aiding in removing landscape policy roadblocks to sustainable wind energy development in the nearer future. This report demonstrates the value of the concept methodology and the outputs it could generate, in the absence of any other visible evidence to align local landscape policy and ensure it can facilitate rather than inhibit further renewable energy development. Relevant actors may take up the suggested methodology presented in this report and further advance, modify and/or refine for application at the regional or national level.
For more information and insights on this research, contact Jack Workman, Project Director of MKO’s Landscape and Visual team: jworkman@mkoireland.ie
