Solar Safeguarding Zone

As part of a review of the Solar Planning Exemptions set out in the Planning and Development Regulations 2001, the Department in conjunction with relevant statutory stakeholders (namely the Irish aviation Authority (IAA), Department of Defence and the HSE) considered the impact of glint and/or glare from solar panels on aviation receptors.  Having regard to the potential glint and/or glare impact on aviation receptors, the designation of Solar Safeguarding Zones (SSZs) around certain airports (5km zone), aerodromes/ military barracks (3km zone), emergency helipads (3km zone) was required in order to provide appropriate safeguards in close proximity to aviation sites.

43 SSZs were introduced within which a rooftop limit on solar panels continues to apply:

10 SSZs with 5km zones (airports) 33 SSZs with 3km zones (aerodromes/ military barracks/ hospital helipads).

The geographical area of the Solar Safeguarding Zones are delineated and defined by Statute in Schedule 1 (a map or maps of the areas) and Schedule 2 (a list of the townlands in question / a description of the areas) of the Planning and Development (Solar safeguarding Zone) Regulation 2022 (S.I. No. 492 of 2022).

The maps are also available to view in more detail on a non-statutory basis on myplan.ie

Data and Resources

Additional Info

Field Value
Title Solar Safeguarding Zone
Description <p><span style='font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;'><font size='4'>As part of a review of the Solar Planning Exemptions set out in the Planning and Development Regulations 2001, the Department in conjunction with relevant statutory stakeholders (namely the Irish aviation Authority (IAA), Department of Defence and the HSE) considered the impact of glint and/or glare from solar panels on aviation receptors.  Having regard to the potential glint and/or glare impact on aviation receptors, the designation of Solar Safeguarding Zones (SSZs) around certain airports (5km zone), aerodromes/ military barracks (3km zone), emergency helipads (3km zone) was required in order to provide appropriate safeguards in close proximity to aviation sites.</font></span></p> <p><span style='font-size:large; font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;'>43 SSZs were introduced within which a rooftop limit on solar panels continues to apply:</span><br /></p> <ul> <li><span style='font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;'><font size='4'>10 SSZs with 5km zones (airports)</font></span></li> <li><span style='font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;'><font size='4'>33 SSZs with 3km zones (aerodromes/ military barracks/ hospital helipads).</font></span></li> </ul> <p><span style='font-size:large; font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;'>The geographical area of the Solar Safeguarding Zones are delineated and defined by Statute in Schedule 1 (a map or maps of the areas) and Schedule 2 (a list of the townlands in question / a description of the areas) of the Planning and Development (Solar safeguarding Zone) Regulation 2022 (S.I. No. 492 of 2022).</span><br /></p> <p><span style='font-size:large; font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;'>The maps are also available to view in more detail on a non-statutory basis on </span><a href='https://myplan.ie/' target='_blank' rel='nofollow ugc noopener noreferrer'>myplan.ie</a><br /></p>
Geographic coverage in GeoJSON format
Geographic coverage
Spatial URI
Vertical Extent
Spatial Reference Systems (SRS)
    Spatial Resolution(s)
    Contact Person datacurator_housinggovie
    Contact Person Email
    Contact Person Telephone -
    Update frequency
    Date dataset released 2022-09-26
    Date dataset updated 2022-09-26
    Period of time covered (begin)
    Period of time covered (end)
    OR: specify what period of time the dataset covers
    Landing Page https://data-housinggovie.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/housinggovie::solar-safeguarding-zone
    Rights notes
    High Value Dataset (HVD)
    High Value Dataset Category
    Applicable Legislation
    Version
    Dataset conforms to these standards
    Provenance information
    Language English
    Expiration Date