Sir, – In permitting the reduction in the minimum sizes of apartments, Minister for the Environment Alan Kelly has served no one but those who own development sites. He claims that he is acting to alleviate the housing crisis and reduce urban sprawl, but this measure will do neither.
On the first point, this change will only mean that developers will make greater profit when they do decide to build, but there is no incentive for them to build now. Why realise the value of an asset now when it will be of greater value in a year or three years or 10?
The Minister speaks of a 3 per cent tax on undeveloped sites, but this is not to be implemented until 2019! Surely this tax is needed now and the rate needs to be increased. I’d happily pay a 3 per cent tax on an asset that was increasing by 10 per cent every year.
Regarding urban sprawl, the reduction in size only ensures that families will never live in apartments by choice. So once young couples decide to have children, they will deem their apartment too small and, if possible, seek a house amidst the urban sprawl.
This ensures continuing sprawl and maintains the value of the hinterland for its owners.
Developers have claimed that it was too expensive for them to build to the old guidelines, but has anyone confirmed these figures in Government? Is it not more likely that developers have paid too much for their sites, in which case we are effectively bailing them out by lowering our quality of life?
We currently have the smallest apartment sizes compared to any of our neighbours, bar the UK, despite our past and present economic growth exceeding that of our neighbours. Speak to anyone from Europe or the US who is working in Dublin and they will tell you of their poor opinion of Irish apartments.
This has obvious implications for our economy’s ability to attract talent into the country.
I had thought we had learned something from the past but it appears not.
We deserve better than this. What is the point of working hard to create a strong economy if the result is that the majority of us end up living in poky apartments and starter homes (does anyone build finishing homes)? Who are we doing it for? Who is benefiting? – Yours, etc,
PETER ENNIS,
Dublin 8.