Rural housing guidelines
Deputy McGrath sought clarification on whether older EU rural housing guidelines still applied and whether councils could be bound by them. Minister Murphy confirmed the guidelines remained in place and said new guidelines would come soon under Project Ireland 2040.
The programme for Government contains specific mention of sustainable rural housing. I ask the Tánaiste who was previously Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government and indeed environment about the European Court of Justice directive of February 2005. The Minister, Deputy Murphy, recently said in the Seanad that county development plans were not to be amended in any shape, make or form. They still had to apply the February 2005 EU guidelines. Will the Tánaiste clarify that they are still in place and that local authorities or councils cannot have any new guidelines until such a time as there is a comprehensive review and statement on the 2005 directive?
Comment on this
I can confirm that those guidelines are still in place and that new guidelines are coming shortly as part of Project Ireland 2040.