Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the announcement by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Browne, regarding the new initiative that will allow private sector involvement in developing wastewater systems for smaller housing developments of up to 40 homes. This initiative is a crucial step towards addressing the infrastructure deficit in rural areas, particularly in County Kerry, where housing development has been long restricted by a lack of adequate wastewater facilities. By enabling developers to collaborate with Uisce Éireann on low-volume wastewater systems, the Government is providing a much-needed solution that will accelerate housing delivery in areas that are currently stifled by infrastructure bottlenecks. This will help to alleviate some of the pressure on our smaller towns and villages where housing demand has far outpaced the availability of wastewater treatment options. In my own county, over 40 villages do not have any wastewater treatment facilities, while a number of others have been at capacity for 20 or 25 years. Constructed wetlands, as I previously mentioned in the House, are a cheaper and faster way to provide wastewater treatment and they are environmentally friendly. However, this is a positive move.

It is essential to recognise that wastewater infrastructure alone will not solve the broader housing crisis in rural Ireland. In counties like Kerry we also face significant policy challenges that prevent many families from building homes on their own land. The national planning framework and the 2005 sustainable rural housing guidelines currently restrict many rural applicants from building family homes, especially when their land is located outside designated areas for housing development. There is a circle around most towns and villages in Kerry where no development is allowed unless you are actively farming. These are towns and villages that are supposed to be under strong urban pressure. This has to be removed or at the very least, the planning restrictions must be eased. These guidelines, though well intentioned, have often led to unintended consequences in rural communities. Many families who want to build on their own land or buy a site to build a home are unable to do so because of restrictions that were designed for a different era, when rural populations were much smaller. Kerry's rural communities in particular are struggling with these outdated policies which have hindered housing growth and caused unnecessary hardship for local families and communities.

While the Minister's initiative on wastewater infrastructure is an important part of the puzzle, it must be complemented by a more flexible and forward-thinking approach to planning policy. Local authorities must be given greater discretion to approve developments based on local needs rather than being bound by rigid national guidelines that fail to reflect the realities on the ground. We are in the middle of a housing crisis, as we all know, and we must not lose sight of that. The current planning policy and conditions and the lack of infrastructure is forcing applicants onto our housing lists. Many of these are in a position to build a house and they can afford it, and they can afford also to get a mortgage, but we are forcing them, through these policies, onto our housing lists. The Minister's announcement yesterday is an important step towards addressing the pressing need for infrastructure development in Kerry. It is critical that we continue to look at innovative solutions for wastewater systems that will allow for faster, more sustainable development in rural areas. As I have referenced already, constructed wetlands are a far speedier and cost-effective option. Where necessary, two or three can be constructed, for example. In Beaufort, just outside Killarney, two years ago, €6 million was announced for a sewerage scheme. I was told recently by Uisce Éireann that it will take at least another seven years. That is almost ten years, which is not good enough and needs to be addressed. As I have outlined, we must also address the broader issue of planning restrictions that continue to prevent many families in Kerry and throughout Ireland from building a family home on their own land.

Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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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.

Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for mentioning my late colleague on Kerry County Council, Jim Finucane. Jim was a great Kerry man. He loved his county and his town of Tralee. He was involved in everything. big and small, in Kerry. I extend my sympathies to his wife and family and his wife's nephew, Councillor Mikey Sheehy. I was deeply shocked and saddened to hear this news late yesterday evening. He will be sadly missed by all. He left an impact on Kerry and that will forever be remembered. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

The national planning framework and sustainable rural housing guidelines 2005 were introduced at a time when rural areas had different needs. These policies now need to be reviewed and updated to reflect the current housing crisis and the demands of rural communities. Another area that must be addressed is the restrictions on national primary and secondary roads where unless a person's application for a house is in a section of road with a limit under 60 km/h, then they are out. The Ring of Kerry is an example of this. Other examples include the roads from Castleisland to Tralee, Castleisland to Farranfore, Tralee to Dingle, Tralee to Listowel and on to Tarbert, Killarney to Rathmore, and many others. The Government must reform these national policies to ensure that families in rural Ireland are not locked out of the opportunities to build homes where they live. We need a planning system that can be responsive to the needs of local communities and provide the flexibility to address the housing shortage in a meaningful way.

We must allow modular homes. As I have previously stated in this House, applicants and their families who attend my clinics and whom I meet on a daily basis in their homes would be more than happy with a good-quality modular home. After all, in many cases, it is all they can afford. I plead with the Minister of State to look closely at opening up our county and country to modular homes. It is the only option for many families today, sadly, but they would be more than happy with such a house. In many cases, they are of such a high quality that they would last 60, 70 or 80 years.

While yesterday's announcement is a positive step forward in addressing some of the infrastructure challenges in rural Ireland, we must not lose sight of the need to reform planning policy. The combination of streamlined wastewater solutions and updated planning guidelines will help us deliver the homes that are so desperately needed in Kerry and rural communities across the country. I want to see couples around Killarney, Killorglin, Cahersiveen, Dingle, Kenmare and Castleisland being allowed to build a family home. Fianna Fáil is committed to ensuring that no community is left behind. We will continue to work towards a more flexible and responsive planning system that allows families to build homes on their own land and contribute to the growth and sustainability of our rural communities. We must provide housing. We must provide the infrastructure, such as constructed wetlands. We must provide affordable housing, social housing and low-cost sites.

Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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The updated rural housing guidelines in the form of a national planning statement will set out relevant planning criteria to be applied in the local authority development plans for rural housing on a consistent basis based on the high-level policy framework set out by the national planning framework and recognising that obligations under European directives and international agreements relating to the management and protection of the environment and adapting to and mitigating climate change has become more central to the operation of the planning system. I assure the House that due care is being taken to ensure that this work will not conflict with the fundamental EU freedoms, will comply with EU environmental legislative requirements and will have dual regard to decisions of the European Court of Justice.

To ensure compliance with all these considerations, the draft will need to be subject to environmental assessment and legal review, following which it is intended that it will be published for a period of public consultation. This is a key part in relation to the asks and reasonable suggestions that the Deputy put forward in order to drive housing provision in County Kerry and beyond. This is the window to make sure that this is submitted and a full part is played. In addition to supporting rural housing, the programme for Government includes a significant number of commitments in relation to the development of housing in rural areas which the Department will address where necessary in conjunction with agencies, such as Uisce Éireann and other Government Departments as required and, indeed, as alluded to by the Deputy. In particular, the Government is committed to the provision of infrastructure to support housing across the country in order to meet housing need and looking at reasonable, realistic and common-sense approaches that can unlock the potential for housing in counties such as Kerry and many others.