Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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220. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the reason the wording has changed in the national planning guidelines 2020 to 2040; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49663/17]

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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The Government intends Ireland 2040 - Our Plan, the National Planning Framework (NPF), to provide the long-term strategic planning and investment context for Ireland over the next 20 years.

Recognising that almost 40% of Ireland’s population lives in rural areas, the Government recognises that rural communities should be in a position to meet their housing needs in rural areas and within a coherent overall local planning policy approach to housing and proper planning and sustainable development in general.

In 2016, there were a total of 442,669 occupied one-off houses, representing 26 per cent of all dwellings in the State.  Between 1991 and 2010, the rate of ‘single house’ development was approximately a quarter of all dwellings built during this period. Since then, and primarily due to very low levels of urban development during recent years, the percentage of ‘one-off’ development as part of all housing completions has increased to almost 40 percent of all homes constructed in the State since 2011.  For 17 counties, the indications are that one-off housing comprised over half of all dwellings built since 2011.

National Policy Objective 18b of the draft NPF states:

‘In rural areas under urban influence, to facilitate the provision of single housing in the countryside based on the core consideration of demonstrable economic need to live in a rural area and relevant siting criteria for rural housing in statutory guidelines and plans.’

Public consultation on the draft NPF concluded on 10 November and over 1,000 submissions were received. My Department is reviewing submissions received with a view to finalising the document in the very near future, including addressing the issue of social and economic underpinnings to the provision of housing in rural communities within the context of National Policy Objective 18b above.