Government to reform rules on one-off rural housing in bid to end inconsistencies among local councils

Fianna Fáil’s rural affairs spokesperson, Peter ‘Chap’ Cleere, said there had been about 20,000 planning permissions granted for one-off houses in 2005, compared to the about 5,000 approved in 2025. Picture: Getty

The Government is moving to reform rules around one-off homes in rural Ireland.

Plans drawn up by the Coalition seek to end the previous postcode lottery of rules and regulations, with different councils interpreting them in a myriad of ways.

This has led to frustration from TDs and local representatives, with inconsistencies in how councils apply the rules leading to floods of representations from the public seeking assistance.

It had been a bone of contention in the previous Government, with the Green Party opposing the Fine Gael push for more one-off housing developments.

The issue reared its head in 2021, when then-junior planning minister Peter Burke said there were no plans to restrict the building of one-off houses.

At the same time, Green TDs said the Government could not advocate for one-off buildings and a town-centre first policy at the same time.

Any changes were essentially mothballed for the duration of the Government, but with the departure of the Green Party, the position of the Coalition shifted.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin first signalled the plans last September, saying there would be a “shift coming” on rural housing.

Almost a year on and that shift is almost upon us, with the revised rules expected to be approved by Cabinet as early as Tuesday.

Fianna Fáil’s rural affairs spokesperson, Peter ‘Chap’ Cleere, said he had received a “huge amount” of representations from the public about the existing rules.

He said there had been about 20,000 planning permissions granted for one-off houses in 2005, compared to the about 5,000 approved in 2025.

“There has been a huge falloff over the last 20 years,” Mr Cleere said.

One issue which has come up repeatedly for the Fianna Fáil TD is people not being permitted to build a one-off house as they already live in a local town.

Mr Cleere said in Graiguenamanagh, Co Kilkenny, people have had their applications refused by the local authority as they live within the boundaries of the town.

But, with the town being right on the Carlow border, people have instead opted to apply for permission with Carlow County Council and have found it easier to get their house built.

'Consistent barriers'

Mr Cleere said this was an example of the “consistent barriers” put up by local authorities, preventing people from building one-off housing.

Similar issues were raised by Fine Gael’s Michael Murphy, who spoke of “frustration” with how Tipperary County Council considers ribbon development along the side of roads.

Mr Murphy said some counties count their houses along individual sides of the road, while Tipperary calculates it using both sides.

He said this led to a halving of houses permitted on roads in Tipperary, with a maximum of six for a 250m stretch compared to 12 in other counties.

However, the expected changes have not been welcomed across the board, with concerns about the potential ramifications to the country’s town centre-first policy.

Green Party senator Malcolm Noonan, who was a junior minister in the Department of Housing, said he had “serious concerns” about the plans.

“This is a reckless act in my view,” Mr Noonan said, pointing out it would add to the demand for local authority services, while warning of the environmental impact of additional septic tanks following a recent EPA report showing as many as 290,000 are faulty.

The Government, however, will be arguing its plans are sensible and come at an ideal time, as Ireland continues to grapple with an acute housing crisis.

By making it easier to build out in the countryside, it will be hoping to see more planning applications granted and more houses built.

Mr Cleere said if the country returned to its previous level of one-off housebuilding, as seen by the 20,000 applications granted in 2005, the State would get close to achieving its target of 50,000 houses built per year.

What's your view on this issue?

You can tell us here

However, there are still questions to answer, including whether local authorities will have adequate staff to deal with any subsequent increase in planning applications for one-off houses.

It will also put more cars on the road, with people required to drive outside of towns and cities to get back home. That will obviously have a knock-on impact for Ireland’s climate targets.

But after years of hodgepodge rules and inequal application, the Government will hope its liberalisation plans will assuage those voters who previously believed Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael had forgotten them.