Sinn Féin spokesperson on Agriculture and Rural Development Martin Kenny has accused Micheál Martin of being intentionally dishonest on rural housing. His comments were made in response to Micheál Martin’s statement today that Fianna Fáil would change the rules for farmers’ children applying for planning permission to build on their own land.

Martin Kenny said:

“Micheál Martin has said that if returned to Government, his party would change the rural planning guidelines ‘that where there’s an economic or social connection to an area, that should be facilitated, subject, obviously, to making sure of your environmental impact, waste-water treatment, all that is provided for’.

“To present this as any sort of change to the current planning regime as it operates in rural areas is dishonest and disingenuous.

“The current National Planning Framework states that in countryside areas under urban influence, planning applications must ‘demonstrate economic or social need to live in the area’. What Micheál Martin is presenting as a promised improvement in rural planning is actually already the law.

“The real issue with rural planning at present is that three successive Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Ministers for Housing have refused to publish revised rural planning guidelines – guidelines that have been completed since 2018. 

“That is what has created the confusion and inconsistency across the planning system with different Local Authorities, especially in rural areas. The big losers have been people, especially young people, who want to live and work in their own communities.

“Sinn Féin is the only party that has a plan to address decline in rural areas including our rural Gaeltachtí and Islands.

“In Government we, as a matter of urgency, would publish the draft rural, Gaeltacht and islands planning guidelines for consultation and move to have them on a statutory footing as quickly as possible.

“We would also work with rural communities to ensure that people can access affordable housing and be able to build their own homes. 

“We would do this by investing in the delivery of social and affordable homes in rural towns and villages; by making it easier and cheaper for people to reuse vacant and derelict homes; and by ensuring the rules on one off homes are clear, fair and consistently applied across all local authorities.

“Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have failed rural Ireland for decades. Nowhere is this clearer than in planning and housing.

“People shouldn’t be fooled by Micheal Martin and his sudden concern about rural planning and housing during an election campaign – that concern was nowhere to be seen as he propped up a Fine Gael government for the last decade. 

“Only a change of Government will ensure that rural communities have their housing needs met.”