Our team took to a very sunny West of Ireland last week for the Irish Planning Institute's Annual Planning Conference, which was held in Galway's Salthill.
A robust planning system is crucial for the successful deployment of renewable energy capacity and we very much welcomed the opportunity to hear about the challenges faced by the planning industry, as well as the changes that are being implemented to overcome these obstacles.
As always, the annual conference featured an excellent line-up of speakers and topics. This included a look back at 50 years of best practice to mark the 50th anniversary of the Irish Planning Institute and a session on "The State of the Environment", which was of particular relevance to the renewable energy industry.
Here are some of our key takeaways:
✅ 2025 will see improvements to the Irish planning system, with significant reductions in decision timelines expected.
✅ An Bord Pleanála has seen an increase of over 40% in staffing since 2023 and is now in a position to deliver on the new 48-week statutory decision timeline for large infrastructure projects.
✅ Ecology plays a central role in the planning process and ecological capacity among key stakeholders is important to allow Ireland to meet its ambitious but vital nature restoration targets.
Pictured at our exhibition stand are Gavin Lawlor, President of the IPI, and Shane Lowry, Community Engagement Manager at FuturEnergy Ireland.
