Letter to the Editor: When more apartments house fewer people
Dear Editor,
I filed an objection to an application made to Waterford Council to amend a planning permit for a housing development on the North Quays in Ferrybank. My objection is based on the fact that the legal authority for the amendment is highly questionable, and that the proposed changes elevate the pursuit of profit over the actual need and demand for family housing.
The amendment would double the number of previously permitted single-bed apartments by eliminating all three-bed units and cutting the number of two-bed apartments.
Also, it would convert a portion of approved retail space to single-bed apartments.
Government Apartment Guidelines adopted in July 2025 free developers to favour more profitable single-bed units, but explicitly exclude previously permitted plans. Government has since adopted a law that allows developers to apply for permission to amend existing permits to apply the 2025 Guidelines.
The legality of the 2025 Guidelines has been challenged in court and the High Court was told recently that the Government intends to replace them with a National Planning Statement, which would include a yet to be conducted environmental impact assessment. The guidelines then are not just inapplicable, but as the Government has tacitly admitted, likely unlawful.
The proposed amendment must also be rejected on its lack of substantive merit. Whereas there is a recognized need for a mix of housing, single-bed apartments are unsuitable for families of any size.
Yet across the European Union, Ireland has the highest number of households with three or more children. Indeed, the Irish Constitution recognizes the family as the "natural primary and fundamental unit group of Society”. Waterford Council must reject the proposed amendment and honour the promise of sustainable family-friendly development in the city centre.
Robert McCarthy,
Ferrybank.
