'Thousands' refused the right to build homes in rural Laois

Thousands of people who want to live in rural Laois are being turned down because they cannot prove they have a 'local need' need to live there, according to a Laois TD who raised the issue with Government officials.

Willie Aird raised the matter at a Dáil Committee meeting, which met to discuss the future of rural Ireland. The Portlaoise-based politician and farmer flagged his experience with planning restrictions.

Local need planning is a policy in rural areas that requires applicants to prove a strong connection to a rural community to get planning permission for a new house. It is argued that this policy is implemented to prevent overdevelopment.

However, the Fine Gael TD argued that rural Ireland needs people, but they are being turned away by planning rules.

"I have made representations thousands of times for people in rural areas, only to be told by the local authorities that they did not have a local need," he said.

He claimed the restriction represents what appears to him an aspiration to help rural Ireland that is not borne out by actual steps to prevent the decline of rural parts of Laois and other parts of Ireland.

"If we are serious about rural Ireland, we have to stand back and take a good look at all our villages in rural Ireland," he said.

Dep Aird asked: "If people cannot get planning permission and live in the rural area where they were reared, why are we doing so much talking about rural Ireland?" 

The TD pointed to an area in the south of his own constituency. MORE BELOW PICTURE

Willie Aird on his election to the Dáil in 2024. Pic: Alf Harvey

"People want to live in rural Ireland in places like Ballacolla, in my local area, and all the different areas where there are small populations. There is benefit to that. It keeps the school going. It keeps all the local sporting activities that are there going.

"When a person moves into a town, they get involved in all the sporting activities in the town, which takes from the rural area. I have seen that, but we just talk about it," he said.

The former county councillor believes the worst cost is the closure of a school.

"I do not see anything wrong with keeping our villages alive. That is why there is nothing as bad as seeing a rural school closed. When I pass through some of my communities, I see old school houses that are closed. They are all turned into community initiatives that the Department funds, and I accept that, but it is heartbreaking to see. This should never happen," he said.

He highlighted schemes that "worked very well" under the rural housing scheme which saw people getting grants to renovate derelict rural houses.

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"It gave an opportunity to a person in an urban area who wanted to live in a rural setting. A person who was born and reared in a rural setting, but was not lucky enough to be a farmer's son or daughter and could not get planning permission, could avail of this scheme to buy a rural house that was run down and get a grant to do it up and live in the rural community," said the TD.

Dep Aird made his remarks at the Joint Committee on Social Protection, Rural and Community Development debate on Wednesday, October 22 where the topic for discussion was a Review of Our Rural Future: Rural Development Policy 2021-2025.

It was attended by officials from the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht.