The Government’s announcement that planning rules for one-off rural homes will be relaxed by the summer has been warmly welcomed as a positive step for rural communities across Ireland. Housing Minister James Browne has confirmed that new national planning guidelines are being prepared which will make it easier for people to build homes in rural areas, particularly on family land. The changes are expected to be introduced later this year and will apply to all local authorities.
The proposed reforms aim to support rural communities by helping young people and families remain in their local areas while also contributing to increased housing supply. Welcoming the announcement, Emer Tóibín said: “This is a very positive development for rural Ireland, the people who wish to say living in their local areas and offering rural dwellers a viable chance at owning a home. For too long, many families have faced significant barriers when trying to build a home in their own community. Relaxing these rules will help people remain close to their families, support local schools and clubs, and sustain vibrant rural communities.”
Cllr Tóibín said that many people currently struggle to obtain planning permission because of strict and often onerous local housing need criteria. In addition, restrictions on development near certain road categories and differing interpretations of county development plans across local authorities have created further barriers for applicants.
She added: “I have worked with scores of couples who could build a house on their own land but are completely locked out of ever buying a home in a town or city. They have been refused planning permission not just once, but multiple times. It is incredibly difficult for them to be told they cannot build on their own land or remain close to their families and communities. For many of them, building on family land is the only realistic way they could ever secure an affordable home, yet that option has been denied to them for so long. It is a huge blow for so many people.”
Cllr Tóibín also noted that when councillors in Meath County Council were drafting the Meath County Development Plan a few years back, proposals linked to national planning guidance suggested that rural housing applicants applying for planning permission should have at least 25 acres of land in their ownership. She said she and a number of other councillors strongly opposed the proposal at the time, arguing that it would have placed further unnecessary barriers in front of rural families seeking to build homes in their own communities. Furthermore, ”Nobody is calling for a free-for-all when it comes to one-off housing in rural Ireland. We all understand that development must be properly planned and sustainable. However, the balance has been far too heavily weighted against local people who simply want the opportunity to live in the communities where they were born and raised. There needs to be a much fairer balance between protecting the countryside and recognising the very real housing needs of rural families. People should not be forced to leave their communities simply because planning policy makes it impossible for them to build a modest home on family land.”
The new guidelines are also expected to bring greater consistency to planning decisions across the country, ensuring that local authorities operate under a clearer national framework. Cllr. Tóibín concludes, ” I truly hope the Government gets this new rural housing policy right. There is a great deal at stake here for rural communities across the country. Getting the balance right between sensible planning and the needs of local people will make an enormous difference to the future of rural Ireland.”
