Dáil debates

Thursday, 7 May 2020

Covid-19 (Housing, Planning and Local Government): Statements

 

1:00 am

Photo of Richard O'DonoghueRichard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent) | Oireachtas source

With regard to one-off houses I know of, especially in Limerick, planning permission was granted by the authority for applications that were up for decision in the first quarter of this year, subject to minor objections or observations, but they were refused by An Bord Pleanála. This is because it is implementing the 2040 plan, which has not yet been enforced. If the 2040 plan is implemented fully, there will be no more one-off houses in rural Ireland, because of the way it is structured.

A bigger problem we have in planning is conservation. We have iconic buildings throughout the country that we need to protect and refurbish but there are also towns and villages that are falling down that are subject to conservation orders. They cannot be done up because the finance does not exist. I know of a couple who bought a house and added a big extension to the back but whose insurance company would not insure the front part because it had a timber ceiling. The conservation officer would not allow them to take down the timber ceiling. Where there are houses in poor condition that could be done up, we keep the front façade, roof and chimneys. Keeping the front façades respects the original streetscape. If we have to knock the rest and build new structures behind, we are saving the front façades of all the villages and towns and getting people back into the buildings at a low expense.

When the matter of the rent freeze arises in June, I will be fully in favour of it. As the Minister said, it could involve a ministerial or Government decision. I am happy with the waiving of the rates for three months.

What will the Minister do for the people who are building one-off houses? He stated he allowed certain estates to open up to get houses finished. We made many representations to the office and asked for work to continue on one-off houses that were within one month of being finished. The people affected are renting, and some of them are working in front-line services. Although building their own houses, they have had to pay rent for an extra two months. They now probably have to join a queue because there are people waiting for their houses to be done and the construction industry does not have the manpower to finish them at present. There are people building one-off houses who are both renting and paying a mortgage. What is the Minister going to do for them?

We have been talking about social housing. What about the people in rural Ireland who are building their own houses or renovating them? I refer to small, one-off houses. Social distancing could have been observed. I have seen some of the sites the Government has allowed to reopen and noted no social distancing on them. I witnessed this myself at the back of the hospital yesterday in Limerick. The Minister allowed the sites to open and closed down the rural sites at the expense of the people concerned, who are working and renting while they are building. What is the Minister going to do for them?

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.