Supervalu in Walkinstown are planning to cover their roof in solar panels. Working with brilliant local Green rep, Ray Cunningham, I sent in a supportive observation to be added to their planning application.

That observation is below, and all planning documents are here.

A chara,

I am writing in support of the planning application by Supervalu to put in 1,020sq m of solar panels on the roof of their Walkinstown shop.

The project was highlighted to me by local Green representative, Ray Cunningham, and I am asking planners to support the application – particularly given the urgent need to decarbonise and prevent the worst impacts of climate change.

The flat panels on a raised, flat roof should have no impact on (nor even be substantially visible to) nearby residents.

The installation of such panels is in line with various objectives of the current Dublin City Development plan, such as:

  • Policy CA7: “to support high levels of…renewable energy sources in existing buildings…”
  • Chapter 3, Solar Energy (p. 87): “Small to medium scale solar rooftop PV installations are suitable for urban areas, particularly large industrial roof spaces, where land availability is limited. Solar PV can be installed in new developments, or retrofitted on to existing buildings.”
  • Policy CA11: “To support, encourage and facilitate the production of energy from renewable sources, such as from solar energy”
  • Policy CEE13: “To support the growth of the ‘green economy’ including renewable energy, retrofitting”
  • Policy BHA22: “The installation of renewable energy measures and equipment will be acceptable where sited and designed to minimise the visual impact and does not result in any significant loss of historic fabric or otherwise affect the significance of the structure”

I would also note that the development plan’s strategic vision statement (1.2, page 17), envisages that “Dublin will be a zero carbon city with all of its energy coming from renewable energy sources”.

Projects such as this are key to reaching such an aim, which is found across national and local government policy on energy and climate change. 

I request that the planning authority approves this project.