Electric.ie January/February 2018

ELECTRIC.IE • The Magazine & Website for the Irish Electrical Industry • 49 Industry News New Vision for Apartment Living in our Cities and Urban Centres ർ Minister publishes new draft planning policy guidelines to encourage more cost-effective apartment developments and new rental accommodation models Minister Eoghan Murphy T.D. has published updated draft guidelines for planning authorities on apartment development, to ensure that the right stock of homes is being built, in the right locations, and at a cost that is more economically attractive to investors and developers. The Minister pointed out that while the numbers of households Ž‹˜‹‰ ‹ ƒ’ƒ”–‡–• ”‘•‡ „› ͸͵τ „‡–™‡‡ ͲͰͰͲ ƒ† ͲͰͱͶǡ ‘Ž› ͱͲτ of households live in apartments nationally which is a long way behind the European and UK ƒ˜‡”ƒ‰‡• ‘ˆ ʹͰǦͶͰτǡ ™Š‹…Š ‹• ‰‘‹‰ to have huge implications for our ˆ—–—”‡ †‡˜‡Ž‘’‡–ǣ “We know we have a housing shortage, but we are now beginning to catch things up. However it is essential that as we build new Š‘‡•ǡ ™‡ †‘ǯ– ”‡’‡ƒ– –Š‡ ‹•–ƒ‡• of the past and create new crises for the future. We know we need to build more homes for individuals and couples, as well as more for renters, and we know this means building more apartments in our urban centres – but we also know that it has not been as economically attractive to do so. It was clear to me upon taking office that we had a particular problem in this area. While there might be plenty of cranes across the skyline of Dublin for example, the vast majority are building offices, not homes. We need to turn this around. These new measures will address a number of challenges that we currently face. They will make it a lot more cost effective to build apartments, with the removal of parking space requirements and increasing the number of units that can be built in a development, for example. They will attract greater investment in to the build to rent sector, which will relieve the huge pressure we are currently seeing ‹ –Š‡ ”‡–ƒŽ ƒ”‡–Ǥ Š‡›ǯŽŽ ƒŽŽ‘™ for “shared living” options which I believe will be very attractive to our multinational sector with its young ƒ† ‘„‹Ž‡ ™‘”ˆ‘”…‡Ǥ ‡ǯŽŽ •‡‡ –Š‡ right types of homes being built, ™‹–Š ‘”‡ •–—†‹‘• ƒ† ͵ ƒ† ͶǦ„‡† ƒ’ƒ”–‡–•Ǥ † –‘‰‡–Š‡” ™‹–Š ‘—” “above the shop” initiatives, the new proposals will open up far more vacant space in our cities and urban …‡–”‡•Ǥ ŽŽ ‘ˆ –Š‹• ‹• ‹’‘”–ƒ– now, as we turn around our housing •Š‘”–ƒ‰‡ Ȃ „—– ‹–ǯ• ƒŽ•‘…”—…‹ƒŽ ‹ˆ –Š‡ country is to develop in the right way in to the future.” In the context of the new National Planning Framework, shortly to be adopted by Government, Minister —”’Š› •ƒ‹†ǣ Dz ‡ ‘™ ˆ”‘ –Š‡ ”‡Žƒ† Ͷʹ͸ʹȀ National Planning Framework process, currently being finalised by Government, that there will be ƒ– –Š‡ ˜‡”› Ž‡ƒ•– ƒ ‡š–”ƒ ͵ ‹ŽŽ‹‘ ’‡‘’Ž‡ ‹ ”‡Žƒ† ‹ –Š‡ ‡š– ͶʹǦͶ͹ ›‡ƒ”• ‡‡†‹‰ ƒ– Ž‡ƒ•– ͹͹ʹǡʹʹʹ ‡™ homes. Roughly half of these will need to be built in cities, with the balance across towns and villages and rural areas. We also know that many of our cities and larger towns need to develop in a smarter, greener way, not sprawling relentlessly outwards and at their edges like they did in the past. People want urban places that are attractive, that are lively and where all the services, facilities and amenities they need are within easy reach. People need better choices of ™Š‡”‡ –‘ Ž‹˜‡ ƒ† ‘•– †‘ǯ– ™ƒ– ‘” ‡‡† –‘ „‡ –‘–ƒŽŽ›…ƒ” †‡’‡†‡–Ǥ † the shared economy has opened up new possibilities for car ownership in any case. ”„ƒ †‡˜‡Ž‘’‡– ‹ ”‡Žƒ† therefore needs a lot more apartment provision so that we can enable our cities and towns to become the places that people want to see in a modern society and a modern economy that is attracting thousands of skilled workers and who want to live close to their place of work at a price they can afford.” Recognising the importance of the issue and the need to engage and get broader views in finalising the guidelines, they have recently been published in draft form, which will be followed by a call for submissions and the hosting of a workshop in ‹†Ǧ ƒ—ƒ”›Ǥ Information received will be taken on board in finalising the guidelines in tandem with the National Planning Framework.