elphin local area plan 2009 - 2015 - Roscommon County Council

10.25.3 Planning Exemptions for Renewable Technology
Chapter 10: Development Management Guidelines and Standards
New Planning Exemptions for Solar Panels and other Micro Renewable Technology were published in
2007 by the DoEHLG. These new proposed Regulations will provide exemptions from planning
permission for solar panels, heat pumps, wind turbines and wood pellet burners - subject to certain
conditions below as follows:
(a)
(b)
The installation of solar panels up to 12 sq. metres aperture area, or 50% of total roof area,
whichever is less, will be exempted development subject to the following conditions:
• A 15cm maximum distance between the plane of a pitched roof and the solar panel
• A 50cm maximum distance between the plane of a flat roof and the solar panels, and,
• That panels should be at least 50cm from the edge of the roof.
The exemptions provide for the same 12 sq metre aperture area in respect of free-standing arrays
as applies to building mounted panels. Therefore, and as is the case with building mounted panels,
arrays of this size and under are exempt from planning permission requirements, subject to some
conditions.
These require that:
• Stand-alone panels must be no more than 2m in height,
• Such panels must be located behind the front wall of the house, and
• A minimum space of 25 sq m of useable space must remain for householders own private use.
(c)
Wind Turbines with a mast height of 10 metres and a rotor diameter of 6 meters will be exempt
from planning permission requirements subject to the following conditions:
• The rotor diameter should be 6 metres or less
• There should be a 3 metre minimum clearance between the lower tip of the rotor and the ground
• The minimum distance of a wind turbine from its nearest neighbouring boundary would equal the
total height of the turbine plus 1 metre
• Noise levels at the nearest neighbouring inhabited dwelling should be