Planning and rural housing was a hot topic during Wednesday’s (May 10) Dáil debate, with Independent TD, Danny Healy-Rae asking the question of when “enough is enough?”.
The rural housing guidelines were issued 18 years ago (2005), and since then the last government and its predecessors ‘promised’ to publish new guidelines, however Healy Rae explained that there still is not one in place.
While the government has proceeded to publish draft sustainable and compact settlement planning guidelines, he said it has failed to publish a similar policy for rural communities.
Rural housing
During the debate on Wednesday, Deputy Richard O’Donoghue said: “Currently, young people are being forced off the land of their forebears due to unreasonable policy decisions, restrictions in granting planning permission for rural homes.”
He called on the government to instruct Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O’Brien to publish the new rural housing guidelines to bring clarity and certainty to rural communities exploring the option of restoring old farm homesteads or building a rural one-off home.
The hope is that new rural planning guidelines allow for planning permission to be permitted for rural housing in all rural areas for those who have a genuine housing need or connection to the local area.
Along with this there was a request from Deputy O’Donoghue to relax outdated planning laws to allow sustainable log cabin units to be constructed without unnecessary planning permission requirements.
This could be done by amending the planning regulations that would facilitate the construction of temporary or permanent structures for residential purposes on family-owned lands in rural areas.
Issues in Kerry
Danny Healy-Rae told the Dáil: “I am not exaggerating when I say planning permission in Kerry is very difficult to obtain at present and is becoming more and more difficult as the days go on.”
He raised with the Taoiseach the issue of national primary and national secondary roads.
“It is ironic to think it was he [Leo Varadkar] who gave Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) the powers in 2013, as Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, that have prevented a whole lot of people and families, whether they are farmers or relatives of farmers, from getting permission to exit through their own entrance onto a national primary or national secondary road, even if there is an existing entrance.
“In Killarney, we are further impacted by the national park to the south of the town. A minister stated in the chamber the other day that he was going to issue a compulsory purchase order, CPO, for more lands around the 26,000ac we have in Killarney already. When is enough enough?” he added.
The Independent TD said many people are just trying to provide houses for themselves.
“I appeal to the minister to do something to allow people to get planning permission or to make it easier. These people will build the house themselves and pay for it, but they are finding it impossible to get planning permission.
“Their only option at present, in that vast area, is to go into Killarney to try to buy a house for €700,000. That is not on. The people of Kerry, including east Kerry, are totally black-guarded,” Deputy Healy-Rae said.