We need your help now Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open. You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough. If you’ve seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it. One-off amount I already contribute Sign in. It’s quick, free
and it’s up to you. An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more. Investigates Investigates Money Diaries The Journal TV Climate Crisis Cost of Living Road Safety Newsletters Temperature Check Inside the Newsroom The Journal Investigates Daft.ie Property Allianz Home The 42 Sport TG4 Entertainment Domino’s Best of the Box The Explainer A deep dive into one big news story Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture have your say Or create a free account to
join the discussion Advertisement More Stories The plans aim to shake up rural housing guidelines.Alamy Stock Photo There’s a new plan for one-off housing – will it make it easier for locals to build in their area? The proposals were signed off by cabinet this week. 10.26pm, 1 Jul 2026 Share options NEW RULES TO make it easier to build one-off housing nationwide have been announced by the government, in what ministers have described as the “biggest overhaul” of rural home planning in 20 years.
They aim to make it easier for families to build one-off homes in their locality while simplifying differences in planning regulations across different local councils. The Draft Sustainable Rural and Gaeltacht Housing National Planning Statement, which cabinet signed off on Tuesday, looks to provide more clarity and consistency on where and how, new housing in rural and Gaeltacht areas can be developed nationally. What will they mean? The new rules will no longer allow local authorities to impose restrictions on ribbon development, where homes are
built in a sprawling fashion, or put caps on the number of homes that may be built on a farm. Councils will also be advised against setting restrictions on how many houses can be built in an area, under plans brought forward by housing minister James Browne and junior minister John Cummins. Junior housing minister John Cummins and housing minister James BrowneLeah Farrell / RollingNews.ie Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie / RollingNews.ie Another change is that all settlements, towns or villages below 1,500 people in population
will now be considered to have a housing need automatically. This means that planning permissions won’t be immediately refused as some councils have done during existing rules over the past 20 years. Minimum road frontage requirements are to be scrapped, as are minimum site sizes for rural houses to be built. Road frontage is the length of land a property must have touching a public road – councils have traditionally required several dozens of metres in length. In Gaeltacht areas, the person must live within
3km of the site and must have lived there for 10 years. However, this can be relaxed to 5 years for people who speak Irish and can show a local need. It is understood this is to help protect and support the Irish language in these areas. What links will you need to a local area? People will be able to get planning permission to build in a rural area depending on two criteria: social need and economic need. In general, social need means that
an applicant who has lived in or is living in the ‘local rural area’ – meaning within a proximity of up to 10km radius – can apply for planning permission to build a home. They can also qualify if they have lived there either consecutively or cumulatively for a period of seven years. Crucially, this includes returning emigrants and people moving back to a rural area where they grew up. This new house must be the applicant’s primary home, criteria designed to avoid instances of
people building holiday homes in the countryside. They must also intend to live at the residence “for at least 10 years”, according to the draft plan, although it is unclear how this may be policed. For economic need, the new guidelines will aim to benefit people whose main job depends on living in a rural area and those who need to live close to their workplace. This includes not just farming but also essential services, such as a local teacher, or people starting or running
a rural business. Rural homeowners will also be permitted to build a second one-off house on their land to facilitate downsizing under the new guidelines. Advertisement So is it all go for rural housing now? Homes on the outskirts of large towns and cities look to be still off the cards, as the proposals state that the planning authority “may apply a more restrictive approach” in these instances. The plans also rule out remote work as an option under the ‘economic need’ banner. The government
proposals said that while it may be possible to work remotely from a rural area in a job that is based elsewhere, this type of employment “is not in itself intrinsic” to a rural area. What has been the reaction to the plans? They have been broadly welcomed by farming groups, with the country’s largest farm organisation, Irish Farmers’ Association dubbing them a “positive step” for rural Ireland. Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) President Francie Gorman said that “rigid and inconsistent” planning guidelines had prevented access
to housing, making it harder for young people and families who want to live and work in the countryside. They had also been a measure long pursued by the IFA – the proposals were even launched on the Co Louth farm of one IFA member on Tuesday. Macra, the farming organisation 17-40 year olds, welcomed the efforts being taken to streamline how planning permissions are handled by different local authorities. It said on Tuesday that many of its members have consistently highlighted the challenges they’ve
experienced in gaining planning permission in their own local areas, “specifically noting the lack of fairness and consistency” between local authorities. On this, minister of state with responsibility for planning Cummins said that the outgoing rules have been too often inconsistent, leading to frustrations because of local interpretations by individual county councils. Green Party senator Malcolm Noonan has claimed on Wednesday that the “blanket approach to liberalising” Ireland’s rural one-off housing guidance ignores different dynamics in the regions, and even within individual counties. “We have
a lop-sided country where pockets within the west and midlands are experiencing population decline and as we move east, we can see many rural areas blighted by urban influenced one-off housing,” the Kilkenny-based senator said. He added that the new housing will also place a strain on road infrastructure, waste collection services, emergency services and postal services. “This poorly thought-out policy is more about political expediency than it is about a plan led approach to land management, protection of nature and water and to mobility.”
Current approval rates Sinn Féin housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin said that he thinks a “a lot is being made” of the new plans, but that it’s “not going to be earth-shattering” in terms of impact. He pointed to high approval rates in some counties for one-off housing, with recent figures showing that the number of one-off houses that received planning permission in Q1 of this year surged by 12.4%. According to the Planning Regulator, there are between 500 and 700 one-off housing applications made
in rural areas that are refused each year. There were 5,929 one-off houses completed in Ireland last year, representing a 12.5% increase compared to 2024. These numbers are a long way “A lot of the rhetoric you’d hear is that you cab’t get planning – the planning figures don’t bear that out. It’s bad for people who can’t get planning, but a lot do,” Ó Broin said. “This is not the major change that it’s being made out to be.” Overall, the Dublin Midwest TD
said there are “some positives and some negatives”, but also “some glaring omissions” in the government’s proposals. The latter include problems facing planning for housing in the Gaeltacht and island communities, with Sinn Féin urging for a standalone policy framework to address those issues rather than “folding them into a wider rural planning document”. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone. Our Explainer articles bring context and explanations in plain language to help make sense of complex issues. We’re asking readers like
you to support us so we can continue to provide helpful context to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay. Support The Journal Eoghan Dalton Viewcomments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “There’s a new plan for one-off housing – will it make it easier for locals to build in their area?”. Recipient’s Email Feedback on “There’s a new plan for one-off housing – will it make it easier for locals to
build in their area?”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please give full details of the problem with the comment. This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy before taking part. Leave a Comment Submit a report Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines. Damaging the good reputation of someone, slander, or libel. Racism or Hate speech An attack on
an individual or group based on religion, race, gender, or beliefs. Trolling or Off-topic An attempt to derail the discussion. Inappropriate language Profanity, obscenity, vulgarity, or slurs. Advertising, phishing, scamming, bots, or repetitive posts. Please provide additional information Thank you for the feedback Your feedback has been sent to our team for review. Leave a commentcancel Name not provided Newly created accounts can only comment using The Journal app. This is to add an extra layer of security to account creation. Download and sign into
the app to continue. Access to the comments facility has been disabled for this user View our policy ⚠️ Duplicate comment Post Comment have your say Or create a free account to join the discussion one-off housing Rural housing News in 60 seconds Riad Bouchaker Riad Bouchaker found guilty of attempted murder of three children in Parnell Square attack Enoch Burke released from prison for the fifth time 53 mins ago good evening Here’s What Happened Today: Wednesday Green Jersey Love Island catch-up: Irish heads
turn to Charleen Murphy as UK fans start to cool on Fitzy From halloumi to boxty: Ireland’s EU presidency begins as Zelenskyy delivers a pointed message Christina Finn carbon bootprint Kelly Earley: As global militaries wage war and kill people, they are also killing the planet Kelly Earley Holles Street Garda acquitted of assaulting teenager who was armed with knuckleduster at large-scale fight Niall O’Connor Enoch Burke released from prison for the fifth time 53 mins ago As it happened Zelenskyy heads home as Ireland’s
EU presidency launch comes to close Talbot Street Self-described anti-Islam activist appears in court over Dublin mosque attack Why has Zelenskyy decided to fly over to Dublin for the start of Ireland’s EU presidency? more from us Investigates Money Diaries The Journal TV Journal Media Advertise With Us Gender Pay Gap Report ’25 About FactCheck Our Network FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition more from us TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Journal Media Advertise
With Us Gender Pay Gap Report ’25 Our Network The Journal FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition © 2026 Journal Media Ltd Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition Switch to Desktop Switch to Mobile The Journal supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and the Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at
https://www.presscouncil.ie, PH: (01) 6489130, Lo-Call 1800 208 080 or email: mailto:info@presscouncil.ie Report an error, omission or problem: Your Email (optional) Create Email Alert Create an email alert based on the current article Email Address One email every morning As soon as new articles come online
rural housing, one-off homes, Gaeltacht, planning permission, ribbon development, road frontage, farm caps, James Browne, John Cummins, Malcolm Noonan, Eoin Ó Broin, Planning Regulator