Catherine Callaghan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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32. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his plans to allow for cluster developments in small rural villages across Carlow and Kilkenny; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53453/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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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 in which to live. Statutory county development plans currently provide planning policies for the development of new housing in rural areas including, as appropriate, housing within villages and smaller rural settlements. In this regard, local planning policies in relation to housing in smaller settlements in Counties Carlow and Kilkenny continue to be set out in the Carlow County Development Plan 2022-2028 and the Kilkenny City and County Development Plan 2021-2027 respectively.

When making a decision in relation to an application for permission, a planning authority is restricted to considering the proper planning and sustainable development of the area, regard being had to, inter alia, the provisions of the development plan and any Ministerial guidelines or National Planning Statements which are in effect.

For the development of clusters of new housing within smaller settlements, it is important to ensure that sufficient infrastructure, including wastewater treatment facilities, is available to support growth in these locations. 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. 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.