Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. At the House's discretion, I think the Deputy would like to join me in a note of sympathy on the death of his former colleague in Kerry County Council and former mayor of Tralee, Jim Finucane, who was a good friend of mine and I know of the Deputy as well. I am taking this Topical Issue on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Browne.

The recently approved revised national planning framework retains the national policy objective, NPO, of supporting the sustainable development of rural areas.

This NPO makes a clear policy distinction between rural areas under urban influence, that is, those areas within the commuter catchment area of cities, towns and centres of employment where there is a need to facilitate rural housing on the basis of demonstrable economic or social need, on the one hand, and rural areas where population levels may be low or declining and rural housing may be facilitated on the basis of siting and design, on the other. In line with the programme for Government commitment to continue to support one-off rural housing, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is considering how best to proceed with updated rural housing guidelines in the form of a national planning statement on rural housing. This work will replace the current rural housing guidelines and will continue to enable development plans to provide for housing in the countryside based on the considerations detailed in the national planning framework. This will be balanced with the need to manage development in certain areas, including areas around cities and larger towns and environmentally sensitive areas, to avoid overdevelopment.

The development of these new guidelines is a priority for the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, recognising that nationally, rural housing continues to be an important component of overall new housing delivery. The vast majority of one-off houses - well in excess of 90% - are built in rural settings. Notwithstanding the need for updated rural housing guidelines, planning permission has been granted for almost 6,000 one-off houses on average every year since 2020. One-off houses constituted 20% of housing completions over the past five years, with an average of 5,200 completed per annum. It is also important to assure the House that both current and future planning guidelines will continue to enable county development plans to provide for rural housing. Furthermore, the Department is a key participant in the development of the new Our Rural Future policy, which will take effect from 2026, and regularly engages with the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht on housing and the necessary infrastructure to support housing development.

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