Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

If the Government is going to take the position that it is setting a minimum standard, it is really saying this is as low as developers can go. That means the developer who buys the land and manages the construction will set the regulation. He has the very minimum to work with and will then decide whether to make the apartments bigger, incorporate more ceiling height, storage space or a decent play area or just not bother. He has only the minimum to confine him and I disagree with that.

Developers and builders get kicked to death in here. I know many builders and developers who did things right and were not prepared to do things wrong and cheat all the time. It is the same as any trade where there are people who do things better than others. Not everyone was a crook. They were not all gangsters trying to do things badly. If the Government creates a base level and no one will be obliged to go above it, saying people can build better if they feel like it is not the way forward because developers will build as they see fit just above the Government’s minimum standards or just within them. There will be no great incentive to do anything else.

In respect of ceiling height, the regulation will be 2.7 m on the ground floor and only with a north-facing aspect. That does not address the problem. A minimum height of 2.7 m is needed in every apartment in Ireland. It would be great if that was used in housing too but it is essential for apartment living if we want to build better spaces for families to live in. We have to stop the notion that an apartment is only a place for people to live until they start a family and then they move to a house. There will not be enough houses. We will run out of grass to cover with housing.

In recent legislation, the Government reduced the social affordable dimension in developments from 20% to 10%. That makes it more financially viable for the developer and easier to finance. It was not the worst move in the world but 10% social and 90% private in a development is not a sufficient mix. We have had a huge problem with ghettoisation in Ireland.

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