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Life
Authorities aiming to speed up delivery of houses with new NPF
Jacqueline Hogge
County development plans look set to be revisited as councils around the country seek to accelerate building.
16 April 2025 News
Two-tier approach to rural homes on course to continue
Applications for one-off rural houses will be assessed through two different lenses, under the yet to be approved revised National Planning Framework.
26 March 2025 Features
Opinion: still no answers on when rural Ireland will get a planning break
Despite repeated requests for interview, Minister for Housing James Browne declines to discuss the issue of planning for rural homes.
Editorial: urban focus, rural problems
We want a vibrant rural Ireland but how can that be achieved if people aren’t living there?
26 March 2025 Editorial
Brass tacks to know when building a rural home
From securing planning permission to ensuring you have all your ducks in a row for a mortgage application, these are the essentials when it comes to building a home in rural Ireland.
19 March 2025 Features
Frustration over delays and price inflation tainting VPRG support
As interest grows in grants offered for the renovation of older homes in rural Ireland, there is concern over alleged price inflation applied by approved providers, writes Jacqueline Hogge.
12 March 2025 Features
Roads policy leaving farm families out in the cold
With safety issues being cited as a reason for rural housing development being stifled, we talk to a farmer who was refused planning permission, writes Jacqueline Hogge.
5 March 2025 Features
Farmers’ bid to downsize family home rejected
The decision to sell their farmhouse to a local family has cost a Co Wicklow farming couple dearly as they have been denied permission to build a smaller home on their land by the local authority.
26 February 2025 Features
Editorial: Modular homes in rural Ireland
Modular homes – if done right – could be the sticking plaster that might just stick.
26 February 2025 Editorial
Is pre-planning the key to helping ease frustrations?
In week three of our series, we look at the mixed feelings about the need for pre-planning meetings when trying to build a rural home which suggest greater transparency and consistency is important.
19 February 2025 Features
Planning inconsistencies affect rural site prices
Frustration over a planning process that has restricted rural housing in recent years is leading to implications for the price and availability of sites across the country, writes Jacqueline Hogge.
6 February 2025 Land report
Lack of knowledge a stumbling block to securing planning
Local authorities suggest poor advice and a lack of knowledge are among the reasons people in rural areas are being refused planning permission for a home
5 February 2025 Features