Sir, – It seems that in a misguided attempt to mark the winter solstice, Minister for the Environment Alan Kelly, in a move that is emblematic of this Government and the last, has again sacrificed social good for commercial reasons ("Kelly orders reduction in minimum size of flats", Front Page, December 22nd).
The reasons for reducing the minimum size of one-bed and studio apartments to 45 sq m and 40 sq m, respectively, are cited as being the severe housing shortage and pricing. Once again extreme circumstances are being used as an excuse for extreme measures. The housing crisis was entirely predictable and avoidable. The building of small apartments will not guarantee lower property prices; the new regulations will only guarantee smaller living spaces. This is a welcome measure for vested interests, but a distinctly unpleasant tiding for families, tenants, and students.
Common sense and social concern are being sacrificed once more to that most pervasive of modern Irish deities, the property market. – Yours, etc,
RICHARD SCRIVEN,
Ballinlough,
Cork.
Sir, – If Alan Kelly really “won’t stand for the shoe-box living that was the hallmark of the Fianna Fáil governments of the past”, why would he now allow, as the responsible Minister, studio apartments to be built that are 27 per cent smaller than the minimum apartment size currently permitted in Dublin?
More importantly, why do we, the public, continue to allow politicians to repeat the planning mistakes of recent years? – Yours, etc,
FRANK CLOHOSEY,
Donnybrook,
Cork.
Sir, – I would like to congratulate Minister for the Environment Alan Kelly on thinking outside the shoe-box with regard to the latest guidelines on apartments issued by his department.
As someone who has lived in such apartments in European city centres, I can attest that making them well is a matter of design, and we should not mistake quantity of floorspace for quality. Ireland is full of cramped and conservative three-bed semis that, aside from contributing to sprawl, pollution and private car use, fail to meet the demand from the urban professionals that the economy attracts. – Yours, etc,
DAVID FRENCH,
Wroclaw, Poland.
A chara, – Critics of Alan Kelly’s decision to loosen some of the regulations around new apartments miss an obvious point – that no-one will be forced to live in them. Developers will construct them only if there is demand, in which case both sides are better off. Allowing cheaper apartments will allow some people to find a home that would not otherwise, or allow them to find one that suits them better.
Of course we’d all love to live in big, energy-efficient, south-facing homes with access to high-quality amenities. But not everyone can afford that and some people care more about these features than others.
The “Let them eat cake” attitude of the critics displays a condescending disregard for the circumstances of low-income people and for those who don’t happen to share their preferences. – Is mise,
Dr KEVIN J DENNY,
School of Economics,
University College Dublin,
Belfield, Dublin 4.