#smokealarmssavelives European Smoke Alarm Day is a joint campaign by the European Fire Safety Alliance and the Federation of European Fire Officers to promote greater awareness about smoke alarms.

“2/3 of us are homeowners & 1/2 have no mortgage, making the gap between owners & renters all the greater: renters have median net wealth of about €5,300 & homeowners €303,000. Despite comprising nearly 30% of households renters own just 3% of Ireland’s wealth” www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2025...

How did we end up with “estimates” of a market demand for 60,000 homes/ year & “projections” of Ireland’s housing crisis lasting another 15 years?

🏗️ ♻️ We should be counting the true environmental costs of demolition/ replacement in #Planning applications.. including the hundreds of tonnes of #construction material being sent long distances to landfill by road in diesel trucks

An 88 percent increase in the number of whole homes to rent in Gaeltacht areas on Airbnb – in just six years 'The history of the Gaeltachts as places of radical and forward thinking gets forgotten now when they've become a holiday destination,' say @CnaG www.ontheditch.com/airbnb-expan...

Revenue extends deadline for local property tax to next Wednesday as thousands yet to file www.independent.ie/business/per...

🇬🇧 RIBA Architectural market reports 2025 “market for architects’ services has softened this quarter, as client demand weakens due to economic uncertainty.. longer-term forecasts being revised downward, moderate growth in UK construction is still expected in coming years” www.riba.org/work/insight...

🗣️ "We are talking ourselves into autocracy here, by taking away people’s rights," says Fred Logue, Solicitor Specialising in Planning & Environmental Law, highlighting the value he sees in the judicial review process. #TonightVMTV

The ability to improve air quality in your home depends less on personal behaviour and more on who owns the building.

We are looking for teachers willing to test Jasper, a CO2 monitor in their classrooms. Jasper is a prototype and we would like to receive user feedback as soon as possible from several countries. If you are interested, please fill out the form: letsair.org/jasper

two schemes. same number of bedrooms. scheme on left: 80' deep floor plates, double loaded corridors. almost exclusively studio bedrooms. 33% open space. point access blocks on right: 55% 3BR, 11% 2BR. 44% studio. 50% open space. most dual/corner aspect. PAB uses 70% FAR of double loaded corridor

🏗️ Dear Irish media, when the AIB #Construction PMI comes out next Tuesday & likely shows a drop again in “civil engineering activity” .. ask if the “infrastructure blockages” might be in public funding, rather than nimbyism. Thanks #Speirgorm #Planning #Housing aib.ie/fxcentre/res...

Irish architect behind $1bn Grand Egyptian Museum 'very excited' Congratulations to Heneghan Peng architects: Róisín Heneghan, Shih-Fu Peng, Edel Tobin & Alicia Perez-Gomez #architecture #Speirgorm www.rte.ie/news/2025/11...

“Interrogating the arguments for small homes as a solution to the Irish housing crisis “The paper critically interrogates main justifications & argues role of small homes as a potential solution to Irish housing crisis is overstated” new research-Dr Mark Jordan www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

🇦🇺 Planning matters ‘Poor doors’: affordable housing tenants have to use back entrance to access apartments’ www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

🇬🇧 Planning matters BBC report here: www.bbc.com/news/article...

🏗️ It’s all go in the construction procurement education world

Canada “..why shoebox condos have been so appealing for North American developers, why the market for them has cratered and what needs to change to build cities with higher density at a liveable scale” @cameronmurray.bsky.social www.theglobeandmail.com/podcasts/the...

Cities can be green by following some basic Nature Based Solutions A straight forward start is adopting the 3-30-300 rule 3 trees seen from your vantage point 30% Urban Forest Canopy which London is at 34% 300 metres from nearest park or green infrastructure

“How Dublin City Council became the capital’s biggest hoarder of derelict sites The authority owns 10% of decaying & vacant urban properties on register” www.independent.ie/irish-news/h...

UCD at the Oireachtas: Representatives of the Oireachtas have heard that Ireland risks overshooting its carbon budgets unless immediate measures are taken to reduce emissions in the construction sector.

🧐 Testing: ”Respiratory Virus Bulletin highlights that Covid-19 activity was low to moderate levels” www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/almo... 🤨 Wastewater: drainage systems show 100% samples Covid+ in Ireland higher than all year (right side of chart) www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/almo...

🧐 Glenveagh CEO to politicians: “zoned, serviced land "almost non-existent" 🤨 Glenveagh Annual Report: €556m landbank of 20,000 sites, 57% with Planning Permission.. sufficient for 12yrs at Glenveagh’s 2024 build rate (1,650 homes) www.annualreports.com/HostedData/A... www.rte.ie/news/2025/11...

Behind the spin “..blame planning & legal problems, LACK OF FUNDING & DIFFICULTIES WITH STATE PROCUREMENT for slowing construction work.. This undermines confidence, business continuity & certainty” “Housebuilders RELY ON STATE TO FUND PLANNING & LEGAL SYSTEMS” www.irishtimes.com/business/202...

“Have we all been gaslit by the construction industry? Centralising power among a few politicians & lobbyists risks edging towards autocracy. Access to the courts is not an obstacle to progress – it is a safeguard that allows citizens to hold power to account” www.irishtimes.com/opinion/lett...

“judicial review of all administrative action is required, by the Constitution, not explicitly but by long-established judicial interpretation. So: should they amend the Constitution? Good luck with that, as they say” www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/comm...

“Housing costs predicted to rise throughout 2030s, peaking as a share of GNI in late 2030s as demand eventually begins to fall” -Dept Finance ..where’s the risk assessment? Allowing housing costs to rise for another 10-15 years will destroy both society & the economy assets.gov.ie/static/docum...

“Ireland’s housing crisis to last another 15 years, Dept of Finance predicts” “estimate of future demand based on current demographic trends, growing preference for smaller households & pent-up demand that has accumulated in recent years” www.irishtimes.com/business/202...

“Housing plan to be published within two weeks - Browne” “we’re just putting the final touches on it, to assure it does reflect our values and principles, but most importantly, that it will bring about that step change in housing delivery” www.rte.ie/news/2025/11...

Congratulations to UCD M.Arch graduates Louise Kelly Daragh Murphy Maeve O'Keeffe Sophie O'Neill & Aoife Sheridan awarded 2025 Lina Fellowship lina.community/notes/2025-l... Fite Fuaite project ‘Back Of House’ here: lina.community/projects/498... @ucddublin.bsky.social @linacommunity.bsky.social

“Australians to get three hours of free electricity every day under solar scheme ..the scheme would share around benefits of solar panels, including to those without panels or who rented their homes” the future is renewal energy & it can also alleviate fuel poverty www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11...

“Lawyers on collision course with Justice Minister over reforms querying of judicial review quite troubling..public should be wary of proposals that would diminish access to courts judicial review is about is ensuring Govt & public sector bodies act lawfully” www.independent.ie/irish-news/c...

New day. New un-evidenced & easily disproved claim about #Planning & #housing This is every day #5 “Excessive planning delays, Nimby objections & overregulation have all sapped urgency needed for a country that has expanded so much in the last quarter century” www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2025...

“Home rebuild prices up 7%, driven by labour costs & skills competition ..min base cost of rebuilding 3-bed semidetached house is now €331,340 in Dublin” *make sure your home is adequately insured, SCSI calculator here: scsi.ie www.irishtimes.com/business/202...

“Minister condemns ‘cottage industry’ around judicial reviews” It started with shaming of active citizens who participate in a democratic process & uphold environmental laws (“NIMBYs”) & continues with attack on access to justice & legal representation in court www.independent.ie/irish-news/p...

Still lots of uncertainty in apartment VAT cut “Clients should review commercial & contracting arrangements to understand whether reduction will apply..& review wording in contracts to determine the impact, if any, on price & whether developer or purchaser will benefit” www.mhc.ie/latest/insig...

"The scale of institutional ownership in certain places is staggering. In Ireland, nearly half of all units delivered since 2017 were purchased by investment funds." www.theguardian.com/commentisfre... #housing #profitcentre

“In 1985, she founded Focus Point, now Focus Ireland, following her research into needs of women experiencing homelessness in Dublin in 1980s.. she worked tirelessly to support the homeless, immigrants & those in disadvantaged communities throughout Ireland & beyond” RIP🕯️ www.rte.ie/news/ireland...

#Planning has become a scapegoat for the housing crisis - Irish Planning Institute president “housing crisis would be solved if it was that simple but this is a diverse industry which involves a huge number of people." (April 2025) www.rte.ie/news/ireland...

‘Better quality’ planning decisions would mean fewer judicial reviews - Bar council chair #Speirgorm #Planning #Housing www.irishtimes.com/crime-law/co...

New day. New un-evidenced & easily disproved claim about #Planning & #housing This is every day #4 “A small but vocal minority – through endless appeals & judicial reviews – is stalling the nation’s progress” www.businesspost.ie/property/whe...

CPD: 3pm tomorrow Tuesday 4 November online 💦 WHY RAINWATER HARVESTING CAN HELP SOLVE A FUTURE WATER CRISIS (no personal knowledge or involvement, looks interesting) www.dcecpd.co.uk/online-cpd-e...

New day. New un-evidenced & easily disproved claim about #Planning & #housing This is every day #3 “There are important standards that we have to adhere to, but everything is being JR’ed [judicial reviewed]” 800 JRs on 360,000 applications isn’t “everything” www.irishexaminer.com/news/politic...

Read @fplogue.bsky.social factual response below.. & listen to the claims made on radio yesterday here: www.rte.ie/radio/radio1... Make up your own mind #Planning #Housing #Speirgorm

“emergency planning powers which would enable Government to bypass existing planning laws to be drawn up by Dept of Public Expenditure” ..rushed legislation & emergency powers, from the money department not the built environment department What could go wrong? www.irishtimes.com/politics/202...

Aarhus Convention protects every person’s right to live in a healthy environment Citizens have rights: access to information, public participation in decision-making, & access to justice Beware relentless misinformation about housing & infrastructure Participation is fundamental to a democracy

📻 Listen back: RTE This Week discussion today on #housing & #Planning www.rte.ie/radio/radio1...

📻 I’ll be discussing #Planning & #housing issues on @rteradio1.bsky.social This Week after 1pm today

Irish artists, if you're taking commissions for An Nollaig let me know so I can point people looking for them in the right direction (let me know what kind of work ye offer, too)

NEW: “If we’re honest, we’ll admit that many cities still need to take their first steps toward more sustainable city-making. And every city needs to go much further & faster.” @forbes.com writer @carltonreid.com interviews me on our bold Paris Exhibition launched by Mayor @annehidalgo.bsky.social.