Sir, – Sinn Féin’s leasehold-based affordable housing scheme is an improved variant on the existing shared equity scheme, which could be improved further if accompanied by a shift of emphasis from apartments to terrace houses, as a means of housing smaller households. Two-bedroom terrace houses seem to cost 50 per cent to 80 per cent of the cost of apartments of similar floorspace. It would be easier to get prices down to the levels Sinn Féin has in mind if more units for smaller households were terrace houses. It would also increase the number of units provided per billion euro.
There is a somewhat misleading consensus, which measures the affordability of housing by comparing average incomes with the mortgage costs of semis and apartments. In reality, both are medium-cost rather than low-cost housing types. Builders like semi-detached houses, seeing them as reliable sellers, and providing better profit margins than basic terrace houses, and they can comply with planning density requirements by combining semis with apartments blocks on the same site. State-supported affordable housing does not need to follow suit.
Apartments do have sustainability advantages over terrace houses, but they can be overstated. Terrace houses may be associated with higher car use, but they use more wood, which is renewable, and stores carbon, and less steel and concrete, which are carbon-intensive, and have an upfront climate impact.
The small apartment versus small terrace house issue is relevant to leasehold housing because Sinn Féin’s scheme has most potential where housing is being provided for smaller, one-person to two-person households. Some, though not all, of these households will grow and move to another house, leading to worthwhile turnover, and increasing the number of households which benefit per house provided. – Yours, etc,
Dr NICHOLAS MANSERGH, MIPI,
Cork.
Sir, – The supply of adequate and affordable places to call home is a huge problem. Despite much improved commencements and completions, the revised draft National Planning Framework (NDF) target of 50,000 new dwellings annually will be difficult to meet.
As I see it, as one who once worked for a planning authority, there is a disconnect between the NPF targets and individual county development plans.
CDP housing targets are informed by Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies (RSES), which are prepared by regional assemblies.
The adoption of a county development plan is legally a reserved function by councillors as members of the planning authorities.
In reality, the elected members are very restricted in their role. Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy guidelines must be complied with. Ministerial guidelines and policy guidelines from the planning regulator must also be taken into account.
Effectively, a county development plan is the plan of the local authority chief executive.
To be fair, there is a statutory public consultation process in CDP reviews. And the chief executive is obliged to respond to each submission.
But, again, the Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies come into play.
Some planning authorities take a very conservative and cautious approach to rezoning lands for residential use. Even fully serviced lands.
Indeed, where I live in Rosslare Harbour, a swathe of agricultural zoned lands within the official settlement area remains as such in the current county development plan adopted in April 2022.
And furthermore, previously housing-zoned and serviced lands reverted to agricultural use only.
The news that the Minister may instruct planning authorities to consider zoning more lands for housing is welcome.
Land use planning is not straightforward. But the current planning system is a convoluted and administrative mess.
The Planning Bill will need to enable more efficient processing of planning applications. Restrict the unbridled third-party objection process. And restrict access to judicial review. The superior courts should not be last-resort planning decision-makers. – Yours, etc,
LARRY DUNNE,
Rosslare Harbour,
Co Wexford.