Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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404. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will provide an update on any proposed changes to the policy or guidance governing Transport Infrastructure Ireland objections to one-off housing developments with access onto national roads; if a review has taken place following issues raised in Dáil Éireann in January 2026 regarding restrictions affecting rural families and young farmers seeking planning permission on lands adjoining national roads; whether revised guidance is being considered to allow for greater flexibility where existing family entrances already exist onto a national route; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41320/26]

Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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405. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he is aware of concerns among young farmers and rural families that current policies applied by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) may prevent them from obtaining planning permission for homes on family lands adjoining national roads, including along the N70 Ring of Kerry; whether discussions have taken place between his Department and TII regarding a more balanced approach to rural housing needs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41321/26]

Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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406. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the current criteria used by Transport Infrastructure Ireland when assessing planning applications for houses with access onto national roads; whether exemptions or special consideration apply in cases where there are existing entrances serving family homes or farm holdings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41322/26]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 404, 405 and 406 together.

The Spatial Planning and National Roads Guidelines, issued in 2012 as Ministerial Guidelines by the then Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government under section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended), set out the circumstances under which access to national roads can be provided. Planning authorities are required to have regard to the Guidelines in the performance of their functions. Whilst the Guidelines are focused on national roads, the regional road network also provides essential links between many large settlements and may include busy stretches of road. As such the guidelines may also inform the management of regional roads in particular circumstances.

The Guidelines state that local authority Development Plans must include policies which seek to maintain and protect the safety, capacity and efficiency of national roads and associated junctions, avoiding the creation of new accesses and the intensification of existing accesses to national roads where a speed limit greater than 50 kmh applies. The guidelines do state that, in certain circumstances, planning authorities may identify stretches of national secondary roads where a less restrictive approach may be applied as part of the process of reviewing or varying the relevant development plan.

Development plans and any relevant local area plans may provide for a limited level of direct access to national roads to facilitate orderly urban development on the approaches to or exit from urban centres that are subject to a speed limit of 60 kmh before a lower 50 kmh limit is encountered. The Guidelines also state that access to national roads will be considered by planning authorities in accordance with normal road safety, traffic management and urban design criteria for built up areas where a 50 kmh limit applies.

Both the zoning of land under the Planning and Development Acts, and the setting of speed limits under the Road Traffic Act, are reserved functions of local authorities. Section 63(3) of the Local Government Act 2001 provides that, subject to law, a Local Authority is independent in the performance of its functions.

The Revised National Planning Framework (NPF) 2025, sets out high-level national policies and objectives, which are essential to achieving proper planning and sustainable development, with a clear vision to guide future development and investment decisions.

The NPF sets out the spatial planning policy approach to accommodating projected population and housing growth to 2040 in a manner which delivers balanced regional development and more sustainable compact growth of our cities and towns.

Regarding rural areas, the NPF recognises that the Irish countryside is, and will continue to be, a living and lived-in landscape, in line with NSO 3 ‘Strengthened Rural Economies and Communities’, while at the same time protecting the capacity of the environment and avoiding ribbon and over-spill development from urban areas. As set out in Delivering Homes, Building Communities 2025-2030- An Action Plan on Housing Supply and Targeting Homelessness, I intend to publish a National Planning Statement in of the second half of 2026 that will set out relevant planning criteria to be applied in local authority development plans for one-off rural housing, based on the high level policy framework set in the NPF.

The Rural Housing National Planning Statement will expand, in particular, on National Policy Objective (NPO) 28 of the NPF, which relates to rural housing. This objective makes a clear policy distinction between rural areas under urban influence (i.e. areas within the commuter catchment of cities, large towns and centres of employment), and structurally weaker rural areas where population levels may be low or declining. NPO 28 is also aligned with the established approach whereby considerations of social or economic need are applied by planning authorities in the assessment of development proposals for new one-off housing in rural areas under urban influence.

Rural Housing Guidelines were last issued in 2005 as Ministerial Guidelines under Section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, and these continue to have effect in addition to subsequent clarifications and national policy changes in the NPF. These Guidelines provide that people who are an intrinsic part of the rural community, on the basis of an economic or social need, should be facilitated in all rural areas. In areas under strong urban influence, the policy is to direct urban generated housing into cities, towns and villages. In a rural area suffering persistent and substantial population decline, the policy is to accommodate anyone wishing to build a house, subject to normal planning and environmental considerations.

The local authority development plan is the principal planning policy tool to achieve these national objectives at a local level. When preparing a development plan, planning authorities were required under the 2000 Act to have regard to any Ministerial Guidelines issued under section 28 of that Act, and to apply any specific planning policy requirements contained within those Guidelines. Ministerial Guidelines will, over time, be replaced with National Planning Statements (NPSs) issued under Section 25 of the new Planning and Development Act of 2024. All development plans must be ‘materially consistent’ with any National Planning Policies and Measures and take ‘due account’ of any National Planning Policy Guidance in an NPS.

Following the commencement of Chapter 3 of the Planning and Development Act 2024 in October 2025, my Department is reviewing existing Guidelines with the intention of replacing them with National Planning Statements under Section 25 of the new Act of 2024.

As already noted, my Department is currently preparing a draft National Planning Statement on Rural Housing for Government approval, to be issued under Section 25 of the Planning and Development Act of 2024, which will provide consistency in the approach to rural housing across the Country. Since the publication of the current Sustainable Rural Housing Guidelines in 2005 there have been important changes to our planning system and our obligations under European Directives and international agreements. Due care is being taken to ensure the new Rural Housing National Planning Statement will not conflict with fundamental EU freedoms, will comply with EU environmental requirements and will have due regard to decisions of the European Court of Justice.

In the interests of clarity, all current Ministerial Guidelines will continue to have effect under Section 27 of the Act of 2024 until such time as they are revoked or replaced by a National Planning Statement.