Sir, – Should planning rules for once-off housing be relaxed? Josephine O’Neill argues yes as young people want to return home and live in rural Ireland. In contrast, Brendan O’Sullivan claims that a nationwide relaxation of controls is an unwise and dangerous approach (Opinion, April 28th).
These apparently contradictory viewpoints could be easily reconciled through the Ready to Build scheme, introduced in 2022. Under this scheme, local authorities can make available serviced sites at reduced cost to support self-build home ownership. Sites are available at a discount below the market value. Local authorities make these sites available by providing services and access.
The Ready to Build scheme is ideal for rejuvenating centres in rural areas. Local authorities should be proactive in the assembly of sites for groups of houses in small towns and villages. This would offer people the chance to live in rural areas within serviced local clusters. – Yours, etc,
BRIAN CALLANAN,
Ennis Road,
Co Limerick.
Sir, – Garden cities were a wonderful idea of the interwar period; however, the idea of people in 21st-century Ireland growing the food to feed themselves (the basis for a garden city) is a bit of a stretch.
While your correspondents make fair comment (Letters, April 28th), what Ireland needs, by some country mile, is single-occupancy flats, not the sticking plaster of granny flats/garden houses, nor the garden city ideal of a quarter acre to feed yourself. – Yours, etc,
RORY J WHELAN,
Drogheda,
Co Meath.
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