There is a rising sense of frustration, not just in Ireland but across the democratic world, at the seeming inability of political systems to deliver the homes, transport networks and infrastructure that people urgently need. Many explanations are offered for this failure, including growing inequality and the increasing financialisation of housing as an asset rather than a social good. But one contributory factor, identified by a growing number of commentators across the political spectrum, is over-regulation.
Regulation is essential to protect the environment, ensure standards and safeguard public health. Yet excessive regulation can stifle development and become a vehicle for vested interests to act contrary to the public good. The “abundance agenda” has highlighted a paradox: well-intentioned regulatory frameworks can accumulate over time into a system that, whatever its original merits, now acts as an obstacle to progress.
That is why the Government’s plans to update the list of exempted works on domestic dwellings are welcome. The Minister of State for Planning, John Cummins, has indicated that a range of developments will no longer require planning permission. These include bicycle shelters and bin storage in front gardens, dormer windows on attic conversions and exterior insulation works. The upper limit for rear house extensions will rise from 40 to 45 square metres, while houses will be permitted to be divided into more than one residence without formal planning approval. Perhaps more controversially, modular garden accommodation will also be exempt.
Many of these proposals simply reflect how priorities have shifted since the last major overhaul of exempted development regulations a quarter of a century ago. Cycling, effective waste management and energy conservation rank far higher on the State’s statutory and policy agenda than they once did, and measures that make these easier to achieve should be embraced. Attic conversions and extensions improve quality of life and can spare families from being forced to trade up in a prohibitively expensive market. Modular garden accommodation and the subdivision of dwellings offer greater flexibility for extended families.
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The proposals should also help to free up a planning system that has become a serious chokepoint, allowing planners to concentrate on the larger projects that matter most.
It is essential that these changes do not usher in an era of free-for-all. Deregulation carries justifiably negative connotations in an Irish context. Robust monitoring of standards will be required, and there is merit in the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland’s proposal that exempt works be carried out by registered builders only.
In principle, this is an overdue reform. It will not solve the housing crisis. But it can make a meaningful contribution to easing it.
