Planners warn against making mistakes of the past in bid for 'quick fix' housing solution
There are warnings against "quick fix" solutions to the housing crisis as Minister Eoghan Murphy prepares to outline a number of new measures to tackle the issue.
The Minister is looking at student accommodation-style, communal living apartments for young professionals.
He also wants a review of urban height limits by the end of the year, which could pave the way for high rise buildings in cities.
President of the Irish Planning Institute Deirdre Fallon says the mistakes of the past cannot be made when it comes to housing.
She said: "The quality of housing that we provide can't be reduced as part of any quick fix measure.
"There are certainly costs involved in building houses, but we believe that some of these underlying costs need to be looked at.
"For example, in terms of land costs, measures that would encourage people to redevlop underused sites within urban areas."
The Institute says a 'windfall tax' on rezoned development land could help reduce house prices, prevent developers from hoarding land, and bring down the cost of sites.
The institute is holding its Autumn conference today, and Ms Fallon says proper planning for new communities will pay off in the long run.
She said: "We need to ensure that the housing that we build now is going to meet the needs of communities of today and into the future.
"And where there is an obvious need to deliver housing urgently in the short term, this cannot be at the expense of the quality of the housing that's provided."
