'Civil servants trying to push everything towards towns' - Fitzmaurice
Independent Ireland TD, Michael Fitzmaurice has called on the government to put rural housing to the forefront of its summer legislative programme.
The number of one-off houses granted planning permission was down 3% in 2024, according to new figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
Deputy Fitzmaurice told Agriland that the government has promised to relax planning conditions for rural housing, but has done nothing yet.
"In my opinion, it’s not the politicians, the civil servants are trying to push everything towards larger town areas. Resistance will be required from all politicians," he said.
"They’re trying to put a push on to limit rural housing. That shouldn’t be tolerated. Communities need to exist everywhere," he added.
"There are inconsistencies in a lot of councils, some of them are good, more of them are pathetic. I find some councils more workable than others. There’s agendas in some councils as well, and there’s no point saying there’s not."
Deputy Fitzmaurice believes that rural housing should be encouraged.
"If someone is going to the extent of doing their own septic tanks. The treatment plants now are as good as what Irish water have when you’re doing your own. These people are looking for no help from the state. They’re spending everything themselves. We should be encouraging these people, not hindering them," he said.
According to the Independent Ireland TD, the government need to do more to help people living in rural areas.
"The state is certainly not cherishing its children for where they want to live," he said.
"The reality is, the housing isn’t there. We should be encouraging rural housing as a way of helping people. We haven’t got the houses. They’re not able to be built. We know that the talks, or the aspirations, are unachievable in built-up areas. If a family member wants to build in a rural area they should be let build. End of story," he added.
The Roscommon - Galway TD believes that communities are already investing in their own local areas.
"Communities have to exist, we have the roads, they were built years ago. We have electricity, we now are putting broadband everywhere. People aren’t looking for street lamps and footpaths, they’re doing it themselves," he said.
"We should be encouraging more rural housing to build up communities that makes the local schools viable, the local shops viable, and the local sports teams viable," he added.
