Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.

An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.

NEW RULES SURROUNDING planning for garden cabins and bike and bin sheds have come into force today.

The new Exempted Development Regulations for Residential Dwellings has lifted and expanded various planning regulations around additions at people’s homes.

The most high-profile of these is the exemption of the requirement to acquire planning permission for homeowners who wish to build modular units up to 45 square metres in their back garden.

Even without the requirement of planning permission, the relevant local authority must have notices lodged of intention to build such a unit.

Housing minister James Browne said the move is intended to free up planners and give the public more autonomy over their home.

Also exempted in the legislation from planning permission is bike or bin storage units in homeowners’ front gardens. The exemption will allow for storage units with enough space for either 3-4 adult-sized back, two cargo bikes, or three wheelie bins, the Department of Housing said.

The existing exemption for a structure in the back garden – like a shed, store, home office or gym – has been increased from 25 to 30 square metres.

The provision of insulation on external walls of a dwelling will be exempted, and an exemption for heat pumps will be expanded so that it is not restricted to the rear of a property.

Browne said the exemptions around the garden cabins will serve as a “practical option” for people, and is “an option for people if it suits their situation and space without the rigmarole of going through extensive planning”.

The tax arrangement for these independent dwellings and how it interacts with the rent-a-room tax relief will be clarified in the Budget.

When the change was first flagged last year, the government stated that this initiative was to enable both younger and older generations to live within their own communities and close to family.

In April, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said government had changed its mind on the measure for “practical” reasons and these cabins will be able to be rented out privately under the Rent-A-Room scheme, where people can earn up to €14,000 tax-free each year.

The move attracted much criticism as people who rent a room through the scheme, as these dwellings will be rented under, are classed as licensees rather than rental tenants.

Sinn Féin’s housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin flagged concern that despite occupying a self-contained unit, licensees of these units won’t have the same protections as those who rent traditional properties.

To embed this post, copy the code below on your site