A new Bill which aims to overturn mandatory planning policy requirements placed on local authorities has passed its first stage.

Sinn Féin's Planning and Development (Excessive Ministerial Power Repeal) Bill 2019 reverses Housing Minister's Murphy’s mandatory guidelines for local authorities on apartment standards and heights, build to rent and co-living.

Introducing the Bill, Eoin Ó Broin TD called the Minister's power "undemocratic" and urged parties to support the repeal.

"This amendment is what has led to the Sustainable Urban Housing: Design Standards for New Apartments — Guidelines for Planning Authorities published in March 2018 and the Urban Development and Building Heights Guidelines for Planning Authorities published in December 2018," Deputy Ó Broin said.

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"These mandatory guidelines have removed restrictions on apartment building heights, decreased apartment sizes, increased the number of small studio apartments allowed in a single development, increased the number of apartments per lift or stairwell and reduced the number of dual aspect apartments per development.

"These mandatory guidelines also ensured greater flexibility for build-to-let apartment developers and introduced the concept of co-living and the 12 sqm micro apartments that this form of 'housing' entails.

"The Bill I have introduced today repeals this contentious power and the resulting guidelines. Individual local authorities should be allowed to determine what planning policy should frame their county development plans. This anti-democratic power should be repealed, and I hope the Bill will receive cross party support."

(CM/MH)