CIEEM joins cross-sector call for a national approach to biodiversity in housing delivery
CIEEM has joined nine other organisations from across the development, planning, design, housing and ecology sectors in setting out how the Irish Government can deliver much-needed homes while protecting and restoring biodiversity.
The joint letter, led by the Irish Green Building Council (IGBC) and published today, was sent to James Browne TD, Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and copied to An Taoiseach and the relevant Ministers of State in July 2026. It does more than call for nature to be protected. It sets out a clear and constructive route for how Government can do it.
The coalition has asked to meet Minister Browne to discuss three priority actions:
- Develop and implement a coordinated national framework on biodiversity and planning of the built environment. This would be grounded in the mitigation hierarchy (avoid, minimise, restore, enhance) and supported by evidence-based local ecological mapping.
- Adopt a common, national standardised measurement tool for sites zoned for development, building on existing tools such as Transport Infrastructure Ireland’s Biodiversity Metric.
- Provide practical, standardised toolkits, guidance and templates to inform master planning and site layouts.
Why a national approach is needed
At present, Ireland has no agreed national approach for assessing, designing or delivering biodiversity measures in new development. Local authorities are applying differing requirements, which creates inconsistency, leaves projects open to challenge, and increases the risk of delays and extra costs.
Implementing the three actions would provide certainty for all stakeholders. It would reduce planning risk, streamline delivery, support affordability, and ensure that new homes contribute positively to nature and community wellbeing. The timing is significant: many local authorities will begin reviewing their Development Plans over 2026–2027, which is a real opportunity to embed a consistent approach from the outset.
The letter’s signatories are CIEEM, Engineers Ireland, Housing Alliance, the Irish Council for Social Housing, the Irish Green Building Council, the Irish Landscape Institute, the Irish Planning Institute, Natural Capital Ireland, the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland and the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland.
CIEEM believes that this letter shows what can be achieved when developers, planners, designers, housing providers and ecologists work together. We all want to see homes delivered quickly and well, and these actions would help make that happen. The choice is not between development and nature, but between good development and bad development.
Changes to EIA thresholds
CIEEM notes the recently reported changes to Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) screening thresholds. In our view, if fewer projects are subject to EIA, a consistent national approach to considering biodiversity in planning becomes all the more important. We will assess the implications of these changes in more detail and share our analysis in the coming weeks, so keep an eye on our website and channels.
CIEEM urges Government to consider these stakeholder-backed actions as a practical way of building nature into Ireland’s planning system, and to meet with the coalition to take them forward.