The Irish Planning Institute has said it has serious concerns about the long-term implications of new guidelines easing restrictions on rural housing.
The Minister for the Environment, Dick Roche, said the guidelines were both balanced and sustainable. However, the Institute has expressed worry about both their impact and the resources for their implementation.
Earlier, Mr Roche said that dispersed housing development was part and parcel of Irish life and it would be simply wrong to legislate against it.
He said the aim of the guidelines was to eliminate inflexibility in the planning process and to eliminate property speculation.
The finalised planning guidelines have expanded on draft proposals to ensure returning emigrants are facilitated by local authorities.
Mr Roche received 105 submissions on draft proposals that were published last year by the former minister, Martin Cullen.
Among the other changes is a new provision allowing people in exceptional health circumstances to build close to a particular environment or family support.
A ban on brick in all cases and a requirement that all roofs be of a particular colour slate have also been lifted.
It is also stated that all one-off housing developments will be allowed in Special Areas of Conservation or SACs as long as what the guidelines calls the integrity of the area is not adversely affected.
Detractors had viewed the draft proposals as a charter for bungalow blitz and said they went against EU and national policy.
The finalised guidelines can be expected to re-ignite the debate on planning in Ireland - something that in all likelihood will end up in the courts.
