Minister to announce new regulations on one-off housing

Environment Minister Martin Cullen is due to announce new regulations today governing the construction of one-off houses in rural areas.

The regulations are expected to lead to an increase in one-off housing, but strict conditions are also expected to be attached to any such developments.

Local authorities throughout the country have mounted crackdowns on the proliferation of one-off houses in rural areas, a move that has been criticised by the Taoiseach and the Minister for Rural Affairs.

Environmental groups and planning authorities argue that such houses are unsustainable and detrimental to the beauty of the Irish countryside.