Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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12. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will provide an update in respect of the new rural housing guidelines; when it is expected that these guidelines will be put out to public consultation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59858/22]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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75. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if the new rural housing guidelines will protect the right of those living in remote areas to build a home near their families and workplaces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59144/22]

Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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I ask the Minister of State whether he will provide an update on the new rural housing guidelines. When it is expected these guidelines will be put out to public consultation and will he make a statement on the matter?

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 12 and 75 together.

Updated rural housing planning guidelines are currently being prepared by my Department. The updated guidelines will expand on the high level spatial planning policy of the national planning framework, especially on national planning objective 19, which relates to rural housing. The objective makes a clear policy distinction between rural areas under urban influence, that is, areas within the commuter catchment of cities, towns and centres of employment, on the one hand, and structurally weaker rural areas where population levels may be low or declining, on the other. National planning objective 19 is also aligned with the established approach whereby considerations of social need, that is, being an intrinsic part of the community or economic need, that is, persons working full or part-time, may be applied by planning authorities in rural areas under urban influence.

The proposed draft rural housing guidelines will set out relevant planning criteria to be applied in local authority development plans for rural housing, based on the high-level policy framework set by the national planning framework. The guidelines will continue to allow county development plans to provide for housing in the countryside based on the considerations detailed in national planning objective 19 of the national planning framework and will highlight the need to manage development in certain areas, such as areas around cities and larger towns and environmentally sensitive areas, in order to avoid overdevelopment.

The guidelines are at an advanced stage of drafting and environmental assessments, that is, appropriate assessments, AA, and strategic environmental assessments, SEA, are ongoing. It is intended to publish the draft guidelines for a period of public consultation when the environmental assessments are completed. It is anticipated that the assessments will be completed this month. Following the period of consultation and with any subsequent changes made, the guidelines will be submitted to me for approval to publish. Once issued, planning authorities and An Bord Pleanála will be required to have regard to the guidelines in carrying out their functions during the development management process.

Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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The process of the consultation and getting in submissions is extremely important because this is a very important issue. County and city development plans have gone through the process and it is important we have these guidelines in place within a very short timeframe. When does the Minister of State expect the Department will be able to issue the guidelines to each of the individual local authorities? Are we talking about a three-month or six-month period? It is important that is clarified.

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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In the first instance, we just got news yesterday that the ecological assessment unit, EAU, within the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has decided a determination is not needed and the guidelines are screened out for an appropriate assessment. They will have to go on public consultation. We have to put them on public display whereby the public and members of the various parliamentary parties and Members of the Oireachtas will have their say with regard to the content of the guidelines. Once that process is finished, we will be able to issue them. We are hopefully talking about a number of weeks as opposed to months to get them published and in situ.

Local authorities, throughout the network of 31 authorities, would be able to conduct a variation of their county development plans to incorporate the new guidelines to ensure they are working for citizens.

As I said in my opening response, An Bord Pleanála will have to have regard to the new guidelines when it is making determinations on applications through the developmental process.

Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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I understand we have to have public consultations and to allow for sufficient time. We are now coming into the Christmas period. If we publish the guidelines in the next two weeks, what kind of period will we allow for the public consultation and for submissions to be made? How long will it take after that for the Department to finalise matters? It is important that the public consultation takes place on how we proceed with the provision of housing in rural areas.

I raise an issue regarding people who have derelict properties in rural areas. I have come across a number of these as I am sure the Minister of State has too. These properties are quite close to existing road infrastructure. The requirement set by local authorities is for the new development to take place in the same location, which is now not in a safe situation. I have found that local authorities insist on the new property be built exactly on the old, derelict site, which is too close to a public road. Will the guidelines cover such issues?

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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There will be a strong policy in the draft guidelines to bring derelict and older properties back into use. I understand and appreciate the circumstances that Deputy Colm Burke is referring to and the challenges that people have in bringing those properties back into use. There do not need to be any impediments to doing that. As I said, one environmental assessment was completed yesterday and hopefully the second will be completed this month. I expect that public consultation will take a couple of weeks. The unknown aspect is the number of submissions that may emanate from that process. As the Deputy will know from going around the country, there is significant interest in the guidelines because they are critical to underwriting rural areas and ensuring that they are kept vibrant. The Government has a suite of measures relating to vacancy and regeneration to do just that. We will act on them quickly. Once the submissions are in, we will have to respond to them. As I said, we are talking about weeks, not months, in this regard. We will act quickly. The local authority network will be able, by way of variation, to incorporate those submissions into their development plans.