New Rural Housing Guidelines Could Add 2,500 Units Annually, Raising Climate Concerns
New relaxed rural housing guidelines, expected to be approved by the Cabinet, could add 2,500 housing units annually, increasing one-off builds by 50 percent. This raises climate concerns, despite government calls to address dereliction and use vacant buildings. A report suggests repurposing existing urban buildings could yield 120,000 units with lower emissions and cost.
Simon Harris has announced that the Cabinet is expected to approve new, relaxed rural housing guidelines, which could facilitate the construction of up to 2,500 additional housing units per year. This development, reported by Harry McGee on June 17th, is anticipated to result in a 50 percent increase in one-off housing builds, despite well-documented concerns regarding its negative impact on climate crisis mitigation.
Harris emphasized that «every arm of the State must play its part in addressing dereliction and unlocking housing supply,» and that «Government must lead by example in bringing vacant buildings back into use.» This statement aligns with the Town Centre First policy, launched by the Government in 2022, which aims to tackle these issues. Furthermore, the 2025 report by the cross-sector Coalition Vacant to Vibrant Building Alliance provides key recommendations for achieving this vision.
Anne Lynch from Circular Built Environment in Dublin 3 argues that the Government should demonstrate genuine leadership by supporting and implementing the initiatives detailed in this report. The report suggests that «unlocking the potential of underused buildings in towns and cities» could deliver over 120,000 additional residential units cost-efficiently. This approach would generate only 25 percent of the carbon emissions associated with new construction, offer rapid delivery by utilizing existing infrastructure, and regenerate urban centers, thereby providing a sustainable model for future investment.