Attic conversions and home extensions designed to accommodate older family members may soon no longer require planning permission, Minister for Housing James Browne is expected to tell the Cabinet, reports RTE.
Proposals under consideration could also allow habitable modular cabins in back gardens and the division of existing homes without the need for planning approval.
Progress on introducing these exemptions is well underway, with 11 Government departments, local councils, and planning authorities having shared their input on the matter, reports RTE.
A public consultation will take place this month before the final regulations are put in place.
Mr Browne is set to tell his Cabinet colleagues that making homes adaptable to people’s changing needs remains a major government focus, reports RTE.
Proposed changes may also eliminate certain extension design rules — such as the current requirement for pitched roofs.
Homeowners could also be allowed to install storage units for bins and bicycles at the front of their properties.
Minister of State John Cummins described the proposed measures as “a practical measure that will provide housing options for people,” reports RTE.
These new rules are expected to be part of the upcoming Planning and Development Act, scheduled for full implementation before year’s end.
However, if delays occur, the planning exemptions may be advanced independently of the Act, r r
The Minister for Housing will also ask Cabinet for approval to draft the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks (Amendment) Bill.
The legislation will introduce technical changes intended to improve fairness within the scheme.
Under the changes, increased financial caps and rates will apply to all applicants who faced costs since 29 March 2024, reports RTE.
In certain cases, the construction of a new house next to a defective one will be permitted for vulnerable families.
Additionally, the timeframe for completing the repair works will be extended from 65 weeks to 130 weeks.
In a separate development, Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan will brief the Cabinet on plans to fast-track the delivery of 960 new prison places by 2030, reports RTE.
He will outline that the prison network is operating at 115% capacity, with a record 5,394 inmates reported in mid-April.
This marks an 11% increase over the past year and more than 1,100 additional prisoners compared to January 2023, reports RTE.
The Irish Penal Reform Trust has already raised concerns in 2024 about persistent overcrowding, calling conditions in some prisons “unacceptable, degrading and dehumanising.”
Mr O’Callaghan is also preparing to roll out a pilot electronic tagging system in the near future, reports RTE.
Elsewhere, Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke is forming a new body tasked with tackling business operational expenses.
The Cost of Business Advisory Forum is due to hold its first meeting on 11 June.
The group is expected to meet at least six times, with its recommendations set to be presented to the Government in early 2026, reports RTE.
Tell us your thoughts in the Facebook post and share this with your friends.
