Rural TDs table motion to tackle housing shortage

The Rural Independent Group of TDs will table a Dáil motion, demanding immediate publication of new rural planning guidelines, statutory timelines for An Bord Pleanála, relaxed planning rules for log cabins, extension of the Help to Buy scheme to second-hand homes, and a €20,000 grant-aid package for first-time home builders. The private members' motion will be debated in the Dáil on Wednesday, May 10.

The leader of the Rural Independent Group, Deputy Mattie Mc Grath, stated: “The impetus for our motion is the government's lack of a coherent and practical strategy to tackle the housing crisis, resulting in incoherence and knee-jerk reactions, which has led to a dysfunctional planning system and rising costs of construction materials, causing a significant obstacle to house building and a major cost driver of expensive housing.

"The lack of coherent government action to tackle the worsening housing crisis is putting a strain on the affordability and delivery of new housing projects across the country. The outdated and dysfunctional planning system in Ireland exacerbates the situation, making it even more challenging for people to find a place to call home. With over 70,000 homes currently held up in the planning system due to appeals to An Bord Pleanála or the courts, it's evident that the system is broken and works for no one.

“Furthermore, rural housing regulations are overly zealous, exacerbating the housing crisis by blocking many from building on family lands. Unfortunately, this government has taken an especially aggressive and unhelpful anti-rural stance on one-off housing and has failed to publish the rural planning guidelines, despite multiple promises for over two years to do so. The last rural housing guidelines were issued eighteen years ago in 2005, meaning there is now a lack of any rural housing policy document, leaving local authorities with no universal roadmap for rural housing policy.

“The government's inactivity in terms of rural housing policy has resulted in young people being forced off the land of their forebears, which is having a detrimental impact on rural communities. Likewise, the current planning laws are so outdated and almost impossible to navigate when it comes to obtaining planning permission for homes such as log cabins.

“Equally, the current planning process can take up to four years for a project or applicant to be determined, and An Bord Pleanála has become a dysfunctional organisation.”

“We appreciate that the housing crisis has many facets; however, practical solutions to the crisis must be implemented. It is time for the government to act. The housing crisis is impacting rural and urban areas, and it is not a problem that can be ignored any longer. That is why we encourage all TDs to support our motion, which contains solutions that are critical for the future of our communities,” concluded Deputy Mc Grath.