The Taoiseach has been told that too many young people are being forced to “abandon their dream” of living in rural areas because of current planning guidelines.
Senator Victor Boyhan has written to the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to highlight that many farm families feel the government is “not seriously engaging on the rural housing question and honouring their commitment to publish new rural housing guidelines”.
In his letter the senator, who is a member of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Housing Planning and Local Government Committee, also urged the Taoiseach to ensure that new rural housing guidelines are published, “without delay”.
The senator acknowledged that while it is important to protect rural landscapes and meet environmental and EU obligations “it is also vital to regenerate rural townlands, villages and communities”.
Senator Boyhan stated: “To grow and sustain rural communities we need people, who want to, stay or return to their roots and those that want to work in agriculture, forestry, horticulture and related enterprises .
“The advantages when family members return to their communities are immeasurable. We cannot overestimate the importance and significance of people being able to live and support those in their own communities.”
He has called on the Taoiseach to:
- Instruct the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to publish the new rural housing guidelines;
- Empower planning authorities to respond positively to the housing needs of rural communities;
- Support planning applicants wishing to build one-off houses to live in rural areas;
- Consider imaginative partnerships with local government, property owners and housing associations or co-ops to deliver housing options;
- Consider the community trusts like those in Scotland that buy land in rural communities and then build co-operatives to build, restore and mange new homes options.
According to Senator Boyhan the current review of planning laws should ensure a “framework” for rural housing and robust and sustainable for rural communities to survive.