Seán Canney TD, Minister of State for International and Road Transport, Logistics, Rail and Ports and Leader in Cabinet of the Independent Ministers, has welcomed the publication of the Planning Design Standards for Apartments, Guidelines for Planning Authorities (2025) — a key step to unlocking the viability of apartment construction across Ireland.

Minister Canney said: “I welcome these updated standards which are clearly aimed at tackling the viability challenges that have stalled apartment construction in many parts of the country. These reforms are timely and necessary if we are serious about ramping up supply and addressing the diverse housing needs of our growing population.

“The updated guidelines retain standards around accessibility, fire safety and sustainability — but offer greater flexibility on aspects like apartment mix, internal layouts, and dual aspect ratios. This common-sense approach will reduce costs and speed up delivery.

“Importantly, developers will now be able to make necessary changes to approved schemes — without having to go through the planning process all over again.”

The changes being made, when compared to the previous Guidelines, will likely result in some cases in an average of €50k and up to €100k cost reduction per unit and will get apartment building moving, without compromising quality or safety.

Minister Canney concluded: “In towns and cities across Ireland, apartments must be part of the solution. These reforms are another step in ensuring that high-quality homes are delivered where there is demand.”