A new report from the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) proposes that future urban buildings are created to be adaptable to tackle future housing issues
Planning regulation changes could prevent a future Irish housing shortage, say the CIOB.
This could be achieved by making sure new office spaces are built in such a way as to be easily convertible into living spaces.
A lack of homes is affecting the population
In a recent survey, the CIOB found that 81% of people in Ireland and Northern Ireland said they are concerned about the housing situation in their city, and 52% say that they feel stuck where they are due to a lack of options.
Furthermore, 64% of respondents said that they do not believe that their city is building what they need, with 52.5% stating a problem with surplus offices.
This aligns with CIOB findings that commercial property vacancies have reached their highest level in 2024. This report found that 58% of office workers now spend more time away from the office than in it, and many companies have downsized their premises as a result.
In Ireland, this means a vacancy rate of 14.5%, and Dublin has the highest office vacancy rate of any European city.
Unfortunately, many of these vacant offices are unsuitable for conversion to living space due to issues such as low ceilings, load-bearing internal walls, and heating, ventilation, and power systems that are inappropriate for home use. Therefore, the CIOB are proposing that planning regulation changes for office spaces and commercial spaces be changed.
Joseph Kilroy, CIOB policy and public affairs manager for Ireland, said: “The clear concerns amongst Irish and Northern Irish people over the lack of housing options in the very places where office vacancy rates are highest, suggests a significant failure of the speculative building model to meet real demand. More than 80% have real concerns about the housing situation so it’s high time changes in how we build are made.
“In our view, the best way to achieve that change is to introduce adaptability metrics into the planning permission decision-making process. London, Paris and Amsterdam have each implemented such policies, thereby creating a potential new stream of future housing supply. The reforms we are suggesting would enable buildings to evolve alongside the societies they serve, converting underused assets into homes and communities rather than waste.”
Planning in Ireland may be due for an overhaul
In July, the Royal Town Planning Institute tasked the International Centre for Local and Regional Development (ICLRD) with investigating how cross-border co-operation between Ireland and Northern Ireland could be used to influence or improve planning policy in both countries.
At the time, Caroline Creamer, director of the ICLRD, said: “Building on the extensive ICLRD research to date, we are excited to be working with the RTPI to explore this important topic.
“It is timely to examine the changing policy landscape and capture stakeholder perspectives on the impact and currency not only of the respective spatial strategies in informing the strategic direction of planning practice but also of the Framework for Co-operation in enhancing and enabling cross-border collaboration to the benefit of all communities and the island of Ireland as a whole.”
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