ieExplains: What are the new rules on one-off rural housing?

The new guidelines will regulate what was previously a postcode lottery of rules where, depending on your location in the country, you were either given easy access or hamstrung by strict rules around building a one-off house.

After years of delay, the Government is set to unveil its new standardised guidelines for the building of rural housing in the coming days.

The new guidelines will regulate what was previously a postcode lottery of rules where, depending on your location in the country, you were either given easy access or hamstrung by strict rules around building a one-off house.

The plans are set to make it easier for people to build their one-off rural homes, with housing minister James Browne saying it will ease restrictions on building across rural Ireland.

But what exactly are we expecting to see change?

What are the rules at the moment?

The existing rules were initially introduced by the Government in 2005, but have subsequently received amendments to the National Planning Framework in 2018.

It essentially requires that people must have an intrinsic link to the rural community, while restricting developments along the side of roads and in people’s back gardens.

The policy has come in for significant criticism in recent years, however, with accusations local councils are not applying the rules consistently.

What are the new proposals?

Mr Browne has previously said the reforms to rural housing guidelines will be a liberalisation of the policy, adding people found it “impossible” to live in their own areas.

It will make it easier for people to get planning permission for their one-off houses.

The new plan will allow individuals, providing they have an economic and social need to live in a rural area, to build a one-off house in the countryside. This will be subject to typical planning rules.

This will also apply to emigrants returning home to Ireland, to encourage people back to the country and permit them to live in the countryside.

What about ribbon developments?

The Government is also planning a relaxation to ribbon development, where houses are built along the sides of roads.

In its 2005 policy, the Government recommended against ribbon developments, raising concerns over “road safety, future demands for the provision of public infrastructure as well as visual impacts”.

The policy instead called for clustered developments away from main roads, saying this would “overcome” the above issues.

However, the Government is set to relax its regulations around ribbon development, making it easier for approvals to build on the side of the road.

What does it mean for people looking to build a one-off house? 

The full implications will not be known until the guidelines are officially published, potentially as early as next week

What exactly are local needs?

This is how a local authority determines the eligibility of a person to build a house.

Essentially, local authorities can examine an individual’s ties to the local area, like how long they have lived there, their familial ties, or their involvement in the community.

In some areas, this means people can be restricted from building a one-off house if they have an existing home in the area.

For example, if a person buys a one-off house in a rural area, if 10 years down the line they seek to build their own house, the council can refuse the request as their housing need has already been met.

What about back-garden developments?

There has been a lot of talk about the building of modular cabins in recent months, with planning minister John Cummins preparing new exemptions to make them easier to build.

Mr Cummins has indicated these exemptions will be passed by the Oireachtas before the summer recess, allowing for new 45sq m extensions separate from the main house.

Alongside this, the Government’s new revised rural housing guidelines are expected to remove the blanket ban on backland developments.

These backlands are typically at the rear of people’s properties, or at the end of a building line, and could be used by people to build smaller granny flats to assist people with downsizing.

Has there been any criticism of the planned changes?

While there is significant support for the reforms from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, not everyone in the Oireachtas is happy about the Government’s plans.

This includes Green Party senator Malcolm Noonan, who described the Government’s liberalisation plans as a populist move which will “lead to an exacerbation of one-off rural housing”.

Concerns have also been raised by UCC economics professor Frank Crowley, who said the relaxation of regulations could lead to a “two-tier” housing system.