Local authorities will assess future planning permission applications for houses in rural areas through two different lenses, depending on where the proposed site is located.
The revised National Planning Framework (NPF), which requires approval from both houses of the Oireachtas, draws a distinction between rural areas that are “under urban influence”, such as those in the commuter belt of cities and towns, and other rural areas.
Applications for one-off housing in commuter belt areas will continue to require would-be single house builders to demonstrate “economic or social need” to live in a rural area, in addition to meeting rural design guidelines.
However, in rural areas elsewhere, the NPF proposes “a more flexible approach” to single housing, with no reference to an economic or social need to live in the area.
“Local needs” restrictions are already strictly enforced by some county councils, in particular those around Dublin, while others are less strict in their implementation.
This two-tier approach to rural housing is needed, the NPF notes, to support the sustainable development of rural areas by encouraging growth and arresting decline in areas that have experienced low population growth or decline in recent decades, and by managing the growth of areas that are under strong urban influence to avoid over-development.
The revised NPF is aimed at planning for a population of between 6.1m and 6.3m people by 2040, and the target of building 50,000 accommodations per year between now and then.
“There is a continuing need for housing provision for people to live and work in Ireland’s countryside,” the NPF states, adding that: “Careful planning is required to manage demand in our most accessible countryside around cities and towns”.
Local authorities will assess future planning permission applications for houses in rural areas through two different lenses, depending on where the proposed site is located.
The revised National Planning Framework (NPF), which requires approval from both houses of the Oireachtas, draws a distinction between rural areas that are “under urban influence”, such as those in the commuter belt of cities and towns, and other rural areas.
Applications for one-off housing in commuter belt areas will continue to require would-be single house builders to demonstrate “economic or social need” to live in a rural area, in addition to meeting rural design guidelines.
However, in rural areas elsewhere, the NPF proposes “a more flexible approach” to single housing, with no reference to an economic or social need to live in the area.
“Local needs” restrictions are already strictly enforced by some county councils, in particular those around Dublin, while others are less strict in their implementation.
This two-tier approach to rural housing is needed, the NPF notes, to support the sustainable development of rural areas by encouraging growth and arresting decline in areas that have experienced low population growth or decline in recent decades, and by managing the growth of areas that are under strong urban influence to avoid over-development.
The revised NPF is aimed at planning for a population of between 6.1m and 6.3m people by 2040, and the target of building 50,000 accommodations per year between now and then.
“There is a continuing need for housing provision for people to live and work in Ireland’s countryside,” the NPF states, adding that: “Careful planning is required to manage demand in our most accessible countryside around cities and towns”.
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