New planning exemptions to support Waterford farmers signed today by Minister Cummins

Minister Cummins has also extended regulations to extend the change of use from vacant commercial properties to residential properties for another 3 years

Minister of State for Planning and Local Government John Cummins TD has today signed new Exempted Development regulations, which will allow farmers to increase slurry storage capacity and construct additional housing for cattle without the need to seek planning permission.

The Waterford Ministerhas listened to the farming community and worked withhis Fine Gael party colleague,Agriculture Minister Martin Heydon,to accelerate exempted developments for farmers that will cut red tape, reduce costs and enable farmers to invest quickly to meet environmental standards.

Minister Cummins said: “I am pleased to sign new regulations to give effect to these important changes for farmers. They represent a practical, balanced step to support the sustainability of Irish agriculture. I am removing unnecessary administrative barriers that have caused delays and added costs particularly for family farms, including in Waterford.

“These measures are about common sense and good planning. Adequate slurry storage is critical for protecting water quality and improving nutrient management. Likewise, modern and well-designed animal housing supports higher standards of animal welfare.

“These changes do not remove oversight or responsibility”, he emphasised. “All developments will still be required to meet building regulations, environmental protections and all relevant agriculture standards. What I am doing is streamlining the process so farmers can make timely, responsible investments in their holdings without being tied up in planning procedures.”

“I have engaged with the farming community with Minister Heydon and understood the urgency of ensuring we make these exemptions so farm families can continue to develop their businesses and livelihoods in rural Ireland.By making it easier to expand slurry storage and housing for cattle, we are giving farmers the flexibility to plan for the future while continuing to protect water quality.”

Farmers will now be able to make the following upgrades without having to seek planning permission.

• Increase the size of animal housing under Class 6 of Part 3 of Schedule 2 by 50%.  200sqm to 300sqm for a structure to house animals.

• Increase the aggregated total from 300sqm to 450sqm for animal housing per farm holding.

• Allow for a stand-alone slurry storage tank of up to 1000 cubic metres, subject to a total farm storage of 1500 cubic metres.

Conditions and limitations are set out within the regulation on the use of these agricultural exemptions.

The Waterford Fine Gael TD has also signed off on exemptions for another three years to allow the conversion of vacant commercial units to residential units - without planning permission. This exemption had been set to expire at the end of this year.

Speaking on this, Minister Cummins said: “Bringing vacant commercial buildings back into use is a key part of this Government’s strategy to tackle dereliction and increase housing supply. By the end of May, local authorities had received 1,457 notifications for the delivery of 3,429 new homes nationwide – showing that these measures are already providing results.”

“Nothing frustrates people more than seeing vacant and derelict properties in their cities, towns, and villages. 

“Expanding the types of development that are exempt from planning permission is a clear, practical decision which cuts red tape, frees up local authority resources and allows homeowners and small developers to deliver homes quicker.

“Overall, these measures are about enabling people to move forward on projects with greater flexibility. They support delivery, make better use of existing buildings and provide greater certainty for those investing in their homes, farms and communities”, Minister Cummins concluded.