Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There is an ongoing conversation on the local needs aspect of the rural planning guidelines. We expect to see some movement on that in the autumn. To be clear, more than 6,000 one-off houses have been built every year in this country for the last several years, so many one-off houses are still being built. Each local authority is its own planning authority. The local councillors will vote through certain interpretations of local needs provisions, which will be different in each area. However, I believe most people with a social or family tie to the area and a local economic need are in a position to build their house. Some clarification on the rules around family and social needs will issue in the coming months.

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