Fine Gael Mayo based Senator Paddy Burke has said that he has been told by the Minister of State for Planning and Local Government, that he has issued a circular to local authorities and An Bord Pleanala, that will allow councils to grant planning permission for housing developments that are of lower density than that currently required in rural towns.
Senator Burke put forward a motion on the issue along with another motion, calling for councils to be allowed to purchase sites and develop and service them and then sell the sites to people who want to build their own homes on them, at a Fine Gael Parliamentary Party meeting this week.
Speaking to the Mayo Advertiser, Senator Burke said: "I had two motions before the Fine Gael Parliamentary Party on Wednesday night; One to allow councils to buy sites on the edge of rural towns, they would service the sites and then sell them to people wanting to build their own home, so a person could build their own house.
"The other part was that we would have a look at the regulations in relation to the residential density that the planning regulator is imposing on county development plans and that are adopted by the councils; the minimum densities are too great, if you look at rural towns, where it is 35 units per hectare.
"By that minimum density, for nearly every town in Mayo, if a developer is putting in three bed semi-detached houses, they will more than likely have no choice but to put in apartments as well, to make up the numbers for the minimum density required - which they don't want to do.
"Minister of State Peter Burke said two things: One - himself and Minister Heather Humphries are working on a plan that will allow councils to provide these sites and it is hoped that will be done before the summer; and he is issuing a circular in relation to the density issue to the councils, saying they can go below the 35 unit density in rural towns, under section 31 of the Planning and Development Act, in towns under a population of 50,000 - which is every town in Mayo."
