One Off Housing Guidelines are open season for house-builders
Issued: 13 April 2005
Green Party Environment spokesperson, Ciarán Cuffe TD has expressed concern at the ?Planning Guidelines on One-off Housing? published by the Minister for the Environment today claiming they allow open season for house - builders.
?More housing in rural areas will increase car dependency?, said Green Party Environment spokesperson, Ciarán Cuffe TD. ? What the Government should be doing is giving people more choices in housing. The only choices for young people are shoe-box apartments in our cities, or semi-D?s in the suburbs, all at high prices. It?s no wonder that people are building their own homes in the countryside.?
?Instead of allowing a free-for-all we want the Government to increase affordability by making available sites and well-designed housing in our villages, towns and cities.?
?I don?t believe that the Minister is considering the full environmental, social or economic costs of one-off housing. It appears to be open season for house-builders. This will do little or nothing for those who don?t own land in the first instance. It is a landowner?s charter.?