The Environment Minister has been slammed over a generation to tenement living in shoebox apartments.

The Green Party said planning standards should not be set by the construction industry and branded the measures as just the latest in a series of concessions to developers.

Councillor Roderic O'Gorman said: "Lowering standards to increase the profits of developers will not solve our housing problem. The plan makes no economic sense. There is absolutely no evidence to suggest that higher standards are holding back development.

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"In 2013, the Government removed the 80% tax on the profits from rezoned land. Subsequently, the social and affordable requirement for newly built estates was reduced from 20% to 10%. When Alan Kelly became Minister, he wrote to local authorities in the Dublin region, warning them not to increase standards for houses. And recently, Minister Kelly has reduced development contributions for developments where the homes will be sold for less than €300,000. All of these measures increase the profits of developers, but they have not led to more housing.

"The only policy measure that might impact negatively upon developers is the vacant site levy. However, this will not kick in till 2019, and it's designed in such a way that it is going to be very difficult to implement. The developer lobby is now setting public policy when it comes to housing."

(CD/LM)