Dublin City Council has rejected a motion to permit back garden log cabins as a way of alleviating the housing crisis.
The council's planning committee had passed a motion to allow "free standing ancillary family accommodation."
However, a report from council officials raised a number of concerns about the proposal.
It argued that a relaxation of existing standards would result in "the provision of small substandard dwellings".
The report flagged fire safety concerns, noting that access between the public road and the cabin would often only be through the main house.
At the council's meeting last night, many councillors argued against the idea.
Councillor Ciaran Cuffe suggested the proposal represented a "slippery slope".
He argued: "I don't believe that we should be relaxing our development plan or our building regulations to facilitate homes that aren't up to our standards.
"The manager rightly points out that there are significant health and safety issues in relation to this issue... I think the most significant issue relates to fire safety."
The motion was ultimately rejected by 36 votes to 11.
Councillor John Lyons, who proposed the motion, said he was saddened that a majority of other councillors "couldn't see the value in the motion".
Speaking after his proposal was rejected, he observed: "To my mind, not enough thought was given by some of the members... and others just accepted wholesale the manager's report.
"It's unfortunate, because I do think [the plan] could have had a positive impact on some people who are struggling on average wages, who are paying the guts of €1500-2000 a month, and who will never have the opportunity of [saving up] a deposit to buy their own home."
