Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

767. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if local authority planning permission can facilitate the building of clusters of houses in rural areas where the developer provides adequate wastewater treatment, as at present the vast majority of villages do not have wastewater treatment facilities and it is not possible to get planning permission for clusters of houses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29297/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The National Planning Framework (NPF) fully supports the sustainable development of rural areas and the need to ensure that they continue to be viable places to live in. Statutory county development plans currently provide planning policies for the development of new housing in rural areas including appropriate housing within villages and smaller rural settlements. In circumstances where no public wastewater network is available, individual homes may be provided with suitable individual wastewater treatment facilities, subject to compliance with environmental standards and requirements.

For the development of clusters of new housing within smaller settlements, it is important to consider the type of appropriate infrastructural options that may be available to ensure that sufficient wastewater treatment facilities to support growth in these locations.

Any such infrastructure options would have to be fully compliant with environmental requirements and developed in accordance with the appropriate specifications, for example, where necessary, specifications required by Uisce Éireann.