THE MINISTER FOR Housing has launched a public consultation and sought an environmental report on his controversial plans to replace planning guidelines for apartments. 

It comes after the proposed guidelines, issued last July, were met with a legal challenge arguing they broke the law by failing to carry out a Strategic Environmental Assessment.

The government had previously maintained that environmental assessments weren’t needed to make apartments smaller.

The legal challenge was taken by local councillors Darragh Moriarty of the Labour Party, Green Party councillors David Healy and Dan Boyle, Independent councillor Padraig McEvoy, and journalist Frank McDonald.

They argued that the guidelines would lead to new apartments being darker and more cramped, with less storage space. 

In November, Minister for Housing James Browne said he would replace the proposed guidelines and prepare a draft National Planning Statement under 2024 legislation, which had recently come into force.

He also said he would carry out an environmental assessment “as a precautionary approach” to enable the planning statement to move forward while the legal challenge to the initial guidelines was ongoing.

Today, the minister is inviting public submissions on the draft national planning statement on ‘Planning Design Standards for Apartments 2026’ along with an associated Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) environmental report.

The aim of the statement is to set out national policy and standards for the design of new apartments.

This includes things like apartment mix, internal space, dual aspect ratios, floor to ceiling heights, storage space and amenity spaces, e.g. balconies and patios. 

A spokesperson for the Housing Minister said the draft statement is about “striking a balance” between building more apartments and ensuring they are built to a high standard.

Submissions from the public can be made up until 5:30 pm on 7 July 2026.

Sources in the Department of Housing have indicated that increased costs in the sector present an ongoing challenge to the delivery of social and affordable housing schemes.

It is understood that the Minister sees this as a “belt and braces” approach, given the legal challenge against the previously issued guidelines.

The Minister’s spokesperson stressed that the existing guidelines remain legally active and that the publication of the draft national planning statement is about ensuring certainty for the construction sector.