A “small change to the rules” that would allow people to build homes in their gardens could deliver an additional 350,000 housing units, a new think tank has argued. 

Progress Ireland wants the Government to change planning rules to allow garden 'seomraí' or granny flats to be built more easily.

Under current the current regulations, people can build offices or workshops in their back gardens - but not new buildings for people can live in.

“All around the country, you’ll see structures erected in gardens,” spokesperson Seán O’Neill McPartlin told Newstalk Breakfast. 

“You’ll see home offices, studios perhaps, underused gyms. 

“So, what we’re proposing is, where before you were allowed to build these structures, homeowners will instead be allowed to build small homes.”

A 'shepherd's hut' in a garden. Picture by: Alamy.com

Mr O’Neill McPartlin described this as a “small change to the rules” but one that makes a lot of sense given the severity of the housing crisis. 

According to the Housing Commission, Ireland currently has a deficit of 200,000 homes and there is a shortage of brownfield land in areas where housing is most in demand.

What Ireland's town and cities do not lack is back gardens and Progress Ireland thinks it makes no sense to constrain development when Government policy is to increase housing supply.

“There are restrictions on what they call detached habitable rooms,” he said. 

“So, once you make the dwelling in your back garden a home with a separate entrance, then the development plan says, ‘It’s not exempted, it’s not allowed.’” 

'No bigger than are currently permitted'

To those worried about large developments suddenly springing up in their neighbour’s back garden, Mr O’Neill McPartlin argued there is no reason for these developments to be bigger than existing structures. 

“We’re proposing that we… don’t increase the scale of exempted developments,” he said. 

“We’re not proposing that now, all of a sudden, you’ll see structures that are huge erected in back gardens. 

“From the point of view of neighbours, the structures erected under our proposals will be no bigger than are currently permitted.” 

Downsizing?

Mr O’Neill McPartlin predicted the rule change would most likely benefit people who are already living on the property.

“I think a lot of the cases of these new homes will come through people downsizing from their existing home, from young people living with their parents perhaps moving into the back garden,” he said. 

“In other words, there wouldn’t be any additional strain on local infrastructure; there’d be people moving from the big house into the small house.” 

Current regulations

Under the current planning system, you can build a garage, shed, greenhouse or similar structure as long as it is no more than four metres in height.

It must also be no larger than 25 metres square and it must be at the back or side of your house.

Progress Ireland is a new think tank backed by the billionaire Collison brothers, John and Patrick, who founded Stripe.

It intends to develop "practical solutions" that will increase the nation's housing supply and infrastructure delivery.

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Main image: An outdoor office. Picture by: Alamy.com