3 days ago
‘Strong ties to agriculture' should be shown for one-off homes
Ireland's leading representative body for chartered surveyors has recommended that for those seeking to build a new one-off home outside of clusters in rural areas, a strong housing need – such as strong ties with agriculture – should be evidenced.
The Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI) said it supports increasing rural housing in a 'planned and sustainable manner'.
The society added that national housing plans should 'create a greater emphasis on this' with the additional use of cluster developments in rural Ireland.
In a submission to a consultation on the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage's National Housing Plan 2025-2030, SCSI recommended an update to the Rural Housing Planning Guidelines.
Rural housing delivery
According to the SCSI, the housing plan 'should transition away from 'ribbon' development towards a more 'clustered' rural housing delivery in the interest of proper planning and sustainability'.
The society said: 'One-off development should be evidenced with a strong housing need (i.e., strong ties with agriculture) if seeking to build a new home outside of clusters.
'Planning authorities should compile data to identify the number of planning permissions granted for single houses in each category, i.e. ribbon/clusters, and the government should consider implementing a maximum threshold of ribbon development for each county compared with clustered applications, to manage the levels of single houses being built in a ribbon-style approach.'
The SCSI stressed that Ireland stands at a 'critical juncture' in addressing its housing challenges and that to achieve housing targets, 'a new level of ambition and collaboration among government, industry, and local authorities' is required.
'Consequently, structural barriers such as infrastructure delays, regulatory bottlenecks, funding limitations, and workforce shortages must be addressed through coordinated, cross-governmental, and cross-sectoral solutions,' the SCSI said.
'These challenges necessitate timely intervention to meet the growing housing demand while also ensuring the creation of well-planned, resilient communities.'
Uncertainties
According to the society, Ireland is not alone in facing significant global economic challenges, from volatile construction material markets to impacts on the economy from rising uncertainties and US tariff costs.
The new president of the SCSI, Gerard O'Toole said: 'Uncertainty is the word we are hearing all the time, largely due to ongoing geopolitical issues which show no sign of abating anytime soon.
'We believe it's now time to focus on what we can control and take decisive action to address our housing and infrastructural deficit.'
The SCSI believes the establishment of a state-backed housing investment vehicle could play a key role in addressing the housing crisis.
O'Toole pointed out that the state is by far the largest investor in Ireland's housing delivery – it allocated over €5 billion to housing in 2024.
However, he said this level of public investment is not sustainable in the long-term, adding that the state needs to explore alternative and diversified funding streams.
The SCSI believes the establishment of a specific private savings fund devoted to housing – which was initially proposed by the Housing Commission – could enable the government to put long-term multi-annual housing plans in place while also facilitating investment in much-needed infrastructural projects.
Current planning laws are driving a deepening emergency, an Irish MEP recently warned, with people continuing to be denied planning permission in rural areas.
Independent Ireland MEP Ciaran Mullooly said this is fuelling rural depopulation, and that local authorities must work to reverse restrictions on one-off homes.
Munster Regional chair of the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) Conor O'Leary told Agriland this week there is a 'necessity' for people to have the ability to build a home in rural areas, especially to keep farming alive and let the next generation in.
He acknowledged the 'community aspect' too, saying there is 'huge strength' in families being able to live nearby to each other, and to be able to exist in the community they may have grown up in.
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