Cllrs. Pádraig McEvoy (Kildare, Independent), Dan Boyle (Cork, Green), and Darragh Moriarty (Dublin, Labour) and I have made a joint response to the public consultation on the Planning Design Standards for Apartments National Planning Statement, 2026.

The changes to the standards proposed this year are essentially the same as those introduced by a different legal mechanism last year, and which we, along with Frank McDonald, have challenged in a case which has been referred to the Court of Justice of the EU. This draft National Planning Statement also raises significant issues as to compliance with the Strategic Environmental Assessment Directive.

Our particular concerns include the reduction in residential amenity for apartment residents, a reduction in the number of people who will be accommodated, risks of overheating, removal of community space, and increased environmental impacts.