Rural housing eligibility
Who can build a house in the Wexford countryside?
In County Wexford, individuals can build a new one-off house in the open countryside if they can demonstrate a social or economic functional need. This includes long-term rural residents with a minimum of 7 to 10 years of residency, people working full-time in rural-resource industries such as agriculture, or those building a first-time permanent home in designated 'Structurally Weak' rural areas.
Who may qualify
Local resident (Social Need) - Strong Urban Influence(Page 153)
A person who has lived full-time in a principal residence for a minimum of 7 years (not necessarily concurrently and at any time in their life) in that local rural area, where the proposed site is within a 7km radius of where they have lived or are living, and who has never owned a rural house.
Local resident (Social Need) - Stronger Rural Area(Page 153)
A person who has lived full-time in a principal residence for a minimum of 7 years (not necessarily concurrently and at any time in their life) in that local rural area, where the proposed site is within a 15km radius of where they have lived or are living, and who has never owned a rural house.
Local resident (Social Need) - Coastal Zone & Landscape/Heritage Areas(Page 154)
A person who has lived full-time in a principal residence within the Coastal Zone or the specific landscape/heritage area for a minimum of 10 years (at any time in their life), where the proposed site is within a 3km radius (5km in the Slaney River Valley Landscape Unit) of where they have lived or are living, and who has never owned a rural house.
Working locally (Economic Need)(Page 153)
Persons who by the nature of their work have a functional need to reside permanently in the rural area close to their place of work. This must relate to full-time (or predominant part-time) rural resource-based activities like agriculture or horticulture, where the business requires them to live on or close to the enterprise.
Farmer / family landholding (Social Need)(Page 155)
Sons, daughters, or successors of long-term landowners (defined as landholdings owned before April 30, 2007) who are intrinsic members of the local rural community and have a social functional need.
Residents in Structurally Weak Areas(Page 154)
Any person building a dwelling house as their permanent place of residence, provided they have never owned a rural house. Demonstrable economic or social functional need is not required in these areas.
Rules by rural area type
The county is split into area types with different rules.
Areas Under Strong Urban Influence
Applicants must show a demonstrable social functional need (7 years residency within a 7km radius) or an economic functional need (full-time agricultural/horticultural work needing proximity).
Stronger Rural Areas
Applicants must show a demonstrable social functional need (7 years residency within a 15km radius) or an economic functional need (full-time agricultural/horticultural work).
Structurally Weak Areas
Open to any person building a permanent place of residence who has never owned a rural house, without needing to prove a social or economic functional need.
Coastal Zone
Stricter local need criteria apply. Social applicants must have 10 years of full-time residency within a 3km radius. Economic applicants must have an overriding functional need (such as full-time farming, horticulture, marine, or tourism) and must not have access to appropriate land outside the area.
Landscape and Heritage Areas
Applies to designated ecological areas (SACs, SPAs, NHAs), Uplands, River Valleys, and Distinctive Landscapes. Social applicants require 10 years of full-time residency within a 3km radius (5km in Slaney River Valley). Economic applicants require an overriding functional need.
Conditions attached
- Occupancy agreement: The applicant must enter an occupancy agreement to reside in the house for a period of 10 years from the date of first occupation (Objective SH41, Page 159).
- Permanent residence: The dwelling must be used as a permanent residence only (Objective SH42, Page 159).
- First-house-only: The applicant must never have previously owned a rural house, unless qualifying under limited exceptional circumstances such as divorce, legal separation, repossession, medical needs, or downsizing (Page 155).
- Ribbon development restriction: The Council will not allow more than five houses on any one side of a given 250m of road frontage (Page 158).
Who typically does not qualify
- Those who have previously owned a rural house, unless they meet specific, exceptional circumstances like divorce, legal separation, repossession, medical needs, or downsizing (Page 155).
- Urban-generated housing applicants who do not have a defined social or economic functional need to live in the countryside (Page 150-152).
- Applicants proposing a new direct access to the national road network where the speed limit is greater than 60kph (Page 157).
- Single holiday homes in the open countryside (Objective SH53, Page 169).