James Browne, the minister for housing, is bringing proposed changes to apartment-building guidelines that will reduce the minimum size of units and cut back on other requirements.

The measures are designed to slash costs by €50,000 to €100,000 per unit. It comes amid frustration and criticism of the government’s response to a slowdown in apartment building.

The changes look at the mix of apartment types, the layout and design of individual units, and the provision of communal facilities. They also include measures around dual-aspect windows, and the ratio of units to lifts and stairs.

New guidelines reduce the minimum size of studio apartments from 37 square metres to 32 sq m. In an attempt to improve delivery costs of apartment schemes, restrictions on apartment mix will also be remove.

Currently, guidelines restrict the number of one-bedroom apartments within a scheme to 50 per cent, with no more than 20-25% consisting of studio apartments.

Minister Browne’s proposals would also reduce the amount of apartments required to be dual aspect in new developments to at least 25 per cent, down from 33 per cent in urban locations and 50 per cent in suburban areas.

Guidelines also specify communal facilities shall not be required on a mandatory basis. The opposition has warned similar measures introduced by then-Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy in 2018 failed to have the desired effect on reducing costs.

Sinn Féin housing spokesman Eoin Ó Broin said proposals were a "copy-and-paste of a failed Fine Gael housing policy".

"Reducing minimum apartment sizes means renters paying higher rents for smaller and darker apartments, and does nothing to increase the supply of housing or reduce the cost of rent," he said.

(Pic: Getty Images)