From:Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage

The Government has today agreed a proposed policy direction for rural housing, meaning that the draft Sustainable Rural and Gaeltacht Housing National Planning Statement (NPS), prepared by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, can now move to environmental assessment under relevant EU Directives, prior to its approval by Government.

The planned publication of the final National Planning Statement before the end of 2026, will mark the most significant update to rural housing policy since the introduction of the 2005 Sustainable Rural Housing Guidelines.

Speaking today, Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne TD emphasised:

“This new Statement, when finalised, will replace the current guidelines with a clearer, more consistent national approach to the delivery and assessment of new housing in rural and Gaeltacht areas, ensuring that planning decisions are transparent, evidence-based and applied consistently across all local authorities, and will meet the local housing needs of rural communities.

“We are removing arbitrary and prescriptive local rules and ensuring each application is assessed fairly on its merits. Crucially, this will end the current Eircode lottery where a house may be permitted in one part of the country while down the road in a neighbouring county, permission would be denied for the exact same development.

“The Statement strikes the right balance between supporting rural communities, ensuring vibrant rural towns and villages and protecting the character and sustainability of our countryside.”

The draft NPS also seeks to provide clarity and consistency within the planning system in relation to the protection and promotion of the Irish language in Gaeltacht Areas, by clarifying the planning and language criteria that will apply in the consideration of new single rural housing and housing in Gaeltacht settlements.

Welcoming this aspect of the draft Planning Statement, Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, Dara Calleary TD said:

“The draft policy strengthens the planning system’s support for the Irish language in Gaeltacht areas, making itclearer and more consistent by setting out the language criteria, which may be submitted with applications for new single rural dwellings and requiring a proportion of multi-unit developments to be lived in by Irish speakers.

“Importantly, the policy also recognises that Gaeltacht communities share a specific culture, language and identity. It introduces the idea of ‘Inter-Gaeltacht Recognition’, meaning Irish speakers who live and work in one Gaeltacht can use that to show they meet local need requirements in another Gaeltacht.”

Stressing this point, Minister of State with responsibility for Planning, John Cummins TD pointed out:

“One of the key benefits will be the introduction of a new policy approach applied consistently across the country, providing more certainty for people wishing to build a new house in a rural area and the avoidance of prescriptive local policies that see different standards applied between neighbouring counties.

“This is about giving certainty both to planners and people who wish to remain living in, or return to their rural communities, while supporting a vibrant, sustainable rural Ireland.”

Also speaking today, Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW, Kevin “Boxer” Moran added:

“The draft Statement is a welcome reform of rural planning guidelines that will bring clarity to those who wish to build a new home in rural and Gaeltacht areas. It replaces years of inconsistency with a clearer and fairer approach, helping to ensure that people making similar planning applications are treated the same, regardless of which county they live in.

“This Statement is about giving people a real opportunity to build a home close to their own family and community, rather than being forced to leave the area they grew up in. Widening the economic need criteria beyond farming, to include essential workers such as teachers and people running rural businesses, will help keep our towns and villages vibrant.”

The draft NPS responds directly to the inconsistency in how applications for new single rural housing are assessed in different areas across the country by defining the relevant planning and local needs criteria to be applied in local development plans and by planning authorities in their consideration of planning applications for single rural housing in rural and Gaeltacht areas.

How the draft NPS Improves Consistency and Clarity

The draft NPS represents a shift from an inconsistent locally interpreted framework to a nationally coherent system for the development of:

The impact of these new measures will:

The draft NPS will need to be assessed under the relevant EU Environmental Directives and associated public consultation, prior to its final approval by Government and issue by the Minister for Housing Local Government and Heritage under Section 25 of the Planning and Development Act 2024.

Until they are replaced by any final National Planning Statement, the Sustainable Rural Housing Guidelines for Planning Authorities, 2005 remain in effect.

Follow this link to view or download a copy of the Draft Planning Statement.

Follow this link to view or download an Irish langauge copy of the Draft Planning Statement.

Draft Sustainable Rural and Gaeltacht Housing National Planning Statement (NPS) explained