Orla Hegarty
LightNews LightNews
banner
orla-hegarty.bsky.social
Orla Hegarty
@orla-hegarty.bsky.social
4.9K followers 3K following 1.4K posts
Architect Asst Professor @UCDDublin @UCDArch FRIAI RIBA ARB opinions my own #Housing #Architecture #Construction #CovidIsAirborne #ClimateAction
Posts Replies Media Videos
orla-hegarty.bsky.social
🏗️“David McWilliams’s characterisation of lawyers as “talkers” rather than “doers”
He decries legal process & points to Chinese projects. Four bridges collapsed in China in 2024 killing 42.. In 2024 Ireland recorded its lowest-ever number of workplace fatalities”
www.irishtimes.com/opinion/lett...
Talkers, doers and process Sir, - David McWilliams's characterisation of lawyers as "talkers" rather than "doers" in his recent piece complaining of sluggish housing and infrastructure delivery bears comment in at least one respect ("To get things done, Ireland needs more engineers and fewer lawyers," November 22nd). He praises the virtue of completion, scale and speed in delivering projects, decries legal process, and points to Chinese projects as "pushing the boundaries of engineering limitations". Perhaps he should visit the Barrow Bridge between Kilkenny and Wexford, which opened in 2020 and features the longest concrete spans of their kind in the world…. Earlier this month, the 758m Hongqi bridge in China collapsed before completion, killing 12 workers, with others still missing. A few months before that, a railway bridge in the Chinese province of Quinghai collapsed before completion, killing at least 12 workers. Four bridges collapsed in China in 2024, killing at least 42 people. In 2024 Ireland recorded its lowest-ever number of workplace fatalities. A sea-change in workplace safety came with the creation of the Health and Safety Authority pursuant to the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 1989, a law passed by those "talkers" in Dáil Eireann. Process matters. - Yours, etc, DEIRDRE NÍ FHLOINN. Dublin 14.
November 27, 2025 at 9:49 AM
orla-hegarty.bsky.social
Site plan & floor plans for the #HongKong towers where the building fires were today (it’s reported 7 of 8 blocks caught fire, blocks are 32 storeys tall) www.housingauthority.gov.hk/en/hostps_fl...
Site plan showing 8 Roman cross shaped tower blocks in irregular layout Typical floor plan showing 8 small 2-bed apartments in Roman cross shape layout with two stairs & 3 lifts in centre
November 26, 2025 at 10:12 PM
orla-hegarty.bsky.social
“The Metro slab was constructed in two mass pours which was necessary due to the constrained nature of the site & urban location. The first pour had a volume of 1400m3 and the second, larger pour had a volume of 1800m3.” sisk.com/news/enginee...
(image of construction site, houses in background) Friday 18th February 2022: Two Grand Parade is a commercial development for Hines Real Estate Ireland. A significant part of this project was the construction of the roof slab and supporting walls of the proposed future Charlemont Metro Station. In total 3200m3 of 50N concrete was used in the construction of the slab.
November 25, 2025 at 6:06 PM
orla-hegarty.bsky.social
🪧 New apartments for sale

Portugal Porto
Large 1-bed €240,000

Italy Turin
Large 1-bed €190,000
November 25, 2025 at 3:11 PM
orla-hegarty.bsky.social
🪧 New build apartments for sale

France: Le Mans <hour from Paris
2-bed from €159,100

Germany: Essen <hour from Düsseldorf
Large 1-bed €265,500
Apartment ad Apartment ad
November 25, 2025 at 2:21 PM
orla-hegarty.bsky.social
links:
Manchester x1developments.com/development/...

Belfast www.propertypal.com/soho-foundry...

Dept of Housing, suburban & urban development costs (2024) assets.gov.ie/static/docum...
7.1 page 25 table 6.1 page 21 table
November 25, 2025 at 1:51 PM
orla-hegarty.bsky.social
🪧 New apartments for sale

Manchester 2-bed
£299,995 (€341,000)

Belfast 2-bed
£189,950 (€216,000)

.. & yet according to Dept of Housing urban apartments cost €535,198 to deliver in Dublin 🧐
Photo of new apartments, Soho Foundry, Townsend St Belfast, 2 bed ground floor £189,950 asking price Photo of new apartment Manchester, total area 75m2, apartment area 68m2, balcony 7m2, price from £299,995
November 25, 2025 at 1:45 PM
orla-hegarty.bsky.social
“Ireland’s must confront age of homeowners”

“allocation of space, not only volume of new construction is central challenge for policymakers”

.. seems to suggest redistribution of private property? I can’t see Irish citizens supporting such a far-left position www.businesspost.ie/analysis-opi...
Business Post: “The UK is slightly further along this path, and the parallels are noteworthy. A recent Whitehall Group report by the Cambridge University Land Society on the British housing market found that 69 percent of households have more bedrooms than they require, including more than 3.6 million homes owned by people over sixty-five with at least two spare rooms. The report argues that the allocation of space, not only the volume of new construction, is a central challenge for policymakers. It highlights that under-occupation is concentrated among older households, while younger households face overcrowding, precarious renting, and limited access to ownership. This distributional mismatch mirrors the Irish experience, although Ireland’s data is less formally quantified”
November 23, 2025 at 12:19 PM
orla-hegarty.bsky.social
I always include them as a matter of course, so I don’t know what others are asked.
This is typical for me
November 22, 2025 at 11:03 AM
orla-hegarty.bsky.social
“nobody knows where they’re coming from”
November 21, 2025 at 8:48 PM
orla-hegarty.bsky.social
Land Development Agency LDA update

€12.5m spent
€8.75bn funding

LDA has delivered 2,000 homes, & has a pipeline of 27,000
www.kildarestreet.com/wrans/?id=20...
text from link Text from link
November 21, 2025 at 5:53 PM
orla-hegarty.bsky.social
“we don’t know where they’re coming from”
Map showing Foxrock close to Stillorgan
November 21, 2025 at 4:48 PM
orla-hegarty.bsky.social
The Lancet: Architecture of mental health

Substandard housing is a significant public health
issue—insufficient space, restrictive layouts, low levels of sunlight & natural ventilation & inability to control privacy adversely impact quality of life & mental health www.thelancet.com/action/showP...
Page 13 “high policy performance buildings', with greater implementation of a combination of design requirements (n = 29) for solar and daylight access, acoustic and visual privacy, private open space, storage, communal circulation spaces, car parking and greater mixes of apart-ments, had significantly higher positive mental wellbeing. The key design requirements identified in this study are supported by previous studies on housing design and health. The benefits of natural light are well docu-mented, from vitamin D production (a lack of which has been associated with depression and obesity) to enhancing sleep patterns, mood, focus and productiv-ity. Inadequate daylighting or poor window views have been found to increase the probability of depression by 60% and 40%, respectively. Our findings also align with studies on indoor environments and the importance of natural ventilation and thermal comfort on occupants' physical health and cognitive function.3.6 While noise is pervasive in urban environments, noise from neighbours is perceived as more annoying by apartment residents & has been linked to a range of non-auditory health effects and adverse health out-comes, including sleep disturbance, cardiovascular disease & impairment of cognitive performance in children. Perceptions of apartment space & layout & communal area quality have also been independently associated with mental wellbeing & Internal private space typically impacts wellbeing via crowding, but quality communal areas may help minimise crowding by providing exposure to green space and the opportunity to interact with neighbours. An analysis of the communal outdoor space in the High Life buildings found the use of outdoor areas was positively associated with neighbouring, which protects against loneliness, and in turn, poor mental health”
November 21, 2025 at 3:45 PM
orla-hegarty.bsky.social
“NIMBY”(not in my back yard) is word used to malign or disparage people who participate in democracy

People are advised to distance themselves from it.Shaming & excluding people from active citizenship & open engagement is counterproductive #Speirgorm #Planning www.researchgate.net/publication/...
“academics interested in understanding the dynamics and process of local development disputes might usefully study participants' use of NIMBY, but should distance themselves from the activity of attributing NIMBYism to certain parties. In addition those concerned with managing, mediating or resolving local disputes should also steer clear of the language of NIMBY and engage with the diversity and complexity of local concerns and interests”
November 21, 2025 at 8:58 AM
orla-hegarty.bsky.social
🇮🇪 Ireland has effective moratorium on new data centres due to lack of capacity

Unrelated: Ireland’s govt plans emergency powers & limits on access to the courts

Unrelated: €3.5 billion budget for infrastructure

Unrelated: Meta & Amazon are building nuclear reactors to power data centres for AI
Meta signs deal with nuclear plant to power Al and datacenters for 20 years Facebook and Instagram parent's deal follows other big tech companies signing agreements with power companies Meta on Tuesday said it had struck an agreement to keep one nuclear reactor of a US utility company in Illinois operating for 20 years. Meta's deal with Constellation Energy is the social networking company's first with a nuclear power plant. Other large tech companies are looking to secure electricity as US power demand rises significantly in part due to the needs of artificial intelligence and datacenters. Google has reached agreements to supply its datacenters with nuclear power via a half-dozen small reactors built by a California utility company. Microsoft's similar contract will restart the Three Mile Island nuclear plant Amazon goes nuclear, to invest more than $500 million to develop small modular reactors
November 18, 2025 at 11:17 AM
orla-hegarty.bsky.social
‘A pragmatic approach’ Government to replace new apartment guidelines amid legal row’

‘current Guidelines will continue until replaced by National Planning Statement, precautionary approach of carrying out SEA environmental assessment for it (without prejudice)’ www.businesspost.ie/legal/a-prag...
“the chief state solicitor, said in the letter to the plaintiffs the housing minister has "resolved to take the pragmatic approach" due to the "uncertainty that will remain while the proceedings are live" She said Browne, the housing minister, has proposed preparation of a draft National Planning Statement, which would require government approval, to "replace the Planning Design Standards for Apartments Guidelines" She added that the minister also proposed "to adopt the precautionary approach of carrying out an environmental assessment for the purposes of the SEA Directive in respect of such National Planning Statement (strictly without prejudice to the question of whether same is required). “The Planning Design Standards for Apartments Guidelines, issued in July, were done under Section 28 of the old Planning and Development Act 2000. Since their publication, the new Planning and Development Act 2024 has come into effect. Browne, the chief state solicitor, said under the new planning act, existing guidelines issued under Section 28 can be replaced with National Planning Statements. "The intended pragmatic approach of preparing and issuing a National Planning Statement will therefore have the added advantage of being based on, and integrating seamlessly with, the new legislative regime for plan and policymaking."
November 18, 2025 at 9:41 AM
orla-hegarty.bsky.social
Housing crisis in a nutshell

“Our adult children would love to move out

There’s a beautiful new apartment block 5 minutes away. Sadly they are all for rent at extortionate prices

What’s more infuriating is many of these apartments are still vacant” (text in alt) www.irishtimes.com/opinion/lett...
Housing and young people Sir, – Shame on our Government is all that I can say, given the state of housing availability in our country. When I look at the properties in my own community, I just get so mad. Our adult children would love to move out. No hope of that in the current climate. There’s a beautiful new apartment block only five minutes up the road. Sadly, they are all for rent at extortionate prices which any single young person, on relatively low wages, just cannot afford. What’s even more infuriating is that many of these apartments are still vacant despite having been available to rent since early summer! Then there’s the old people’s complex, not so far away either, which is all boarded up with not a sign of anything being done to upgrade it to current living standards. I despair when I see and read about the effect the lack of housing has on the mental health of people, particularly our younger people. I love my country but it makes me sad that it has nothing to offer my children, in terms of housing. It’s no wonder so many people are emigrating. – Yours, etc, DEE DELANY, Raheny, Dublin 5.
November 17, 2025 at 8:34 AM
orla-hegarty.bsky.social
here’s a permitted building that goes to 29 floors (so no ladder rescue possible), 1 stairs, open plan kitchens without internal lobbies.. how do you firefight here without filling the escape stairs with smoke, & trapping occupants above?
floor plan of residential tower, single stairs
November 16, 2025 at 5:20 PM
orla-hegarty.bsky.social
👀
November 16, 2025 at 12:32 PM
orla-hegarty.bsky.social
Again with the “seomra” shed-sit www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2025...
Orla Hegarty: No. Without careful handling, this could be less 'Dermot Bannon' and more 'hermit cabin' The proposal to permit small homes in back gardens is the offer of a hospital trolley when you really need a bed. In some circumstances it suits people to live in close quarters with others, and the planning system can accommodate this. But the risk is that this proposal represents the continued erosion of hard-won standards, with potential unintended consequences in the housing sector, and new challenges for State authorities. Currently, a greenhouse, garage, store or shed up to 25sq m is generally exempt from planning permission, but it may not be lived in. The Government's proposal is to increase this to 40sq m for a separate residence. Worryingly, no no minimum has been mentioned, so how low can we go? Irish apartment regulations specify at least 37sqm) equivalent to just three standard parking spaces) for a one-person studio, and 45sq m for a two-person unit. This is important. Space is critical to wellbeing and health, and for human needs, activities, hygiene, comfort, safety, socialising, disability and so on. This is why the recent “co-living” experiment of 15sq m rooms was ended just two years after its introduction. The small size of a garden cabin suggests the initiative is intended for single people, although the reality will likely mean they are used by couples and families, and overcrowding may ensue. Not being “officially” available for rent will put them outside the scrutiny of the Residential Tenancies Board and inspection of minimum standards. It is already evident from rental and holiday websites that unauthorised “chalets” are in use, some costing more than €100 per night. A 2021 US study by the National Association of Realtors found that accessory dwelling units (ADUs) added 35 per cent per cent to the value of a home. So, whether the new “site” is developed or not, there could be an inflationary effect in some residential neighbourhoods.
November 16, 2025 at 11:34 AM
orla-hegarty.bsky.social
“supply is not cause of Ireland’s housing problems..existing output & vac­ant dwellings have been sufficient for rise in households since 2011

The real problem is housing costs are too high & Govt determination to turbo- charge housing delivery is making it worse” www.independent.ie/irish-news/w...
If you were travelling northbound on the N2 while trying to get to Cork, flooring the accelerator would not solve your problem. You're going in the wrong direction The Government's latest housing plan doubles down on a blueprint that has delivered lousy outcomes for a decade. Policy has taken a wrong turn, and doing more of the same won't solve anything From the first line of Delivering Homes, Building Communities, the Government's fixation on increasing supply is evident. Its aim of delivering 300,000 units by 2030 represents an 80pc increase on targets in its previous plan, Housing for All But supply is not the cause of Ireland's housing problems CSO data shows that existing output levels, along with the reoccupation of vacant dwellings, have been sufficient to accommodate the rise in household numbers since 2011 The real problem is that housing costs are too high, and the Government's determination to turbo- charge housing delivery at all costs is making this worse The plan's starter homes programme merely repackages a collection of existing home-purchase subsidies. These appear to benefit buyers, but in fact only get added to the price of new homes, driving up prices and leaving consumers worse off. Government consultants recommended that Help-to-Buy, the oldest and largest of these schemes, be scrapped by 2024. Instead, its life has been extended until 2030 Throwing more money at these failed interventions is the policy equivalent of driving faster to the wrong destination. Optimists may welcome the increased emphasis on costs, but new measures for apartments, such as reduced standards and Vat cuts, are designed to reduce costs for developers rather than for home-buyers The goal is to boost development profits, stimulating more building. But it does nothing for the consumers who are left with inferior housing and higher taxes to pay for the Vat cuts. Dr John McCartney lectures in property economics at TU Dublin and is an adjunct associate professor at UCD
November 16, 2025 at 9:05 AM
orla-hegarty.bsky.social
☢️ “Government to hit
'nuclear button' granting itself emergency powers to solve infrastructure crisis” -Business Post
Business Post headline Government to hit 'nuclear button' granting itself emergency powers to solve infrastructure crisis International headline Amazon, Google, and Meta Support Global Initiative to Triple Nuclear Energy Capacity by 2050
November 16, 2025 at 8:49 AM
orla-hegarty.bsky.social
New build 3-bed house price

June 2021
Clonard Wexford €175k
Carlow Town €199k
Sligo €175k
Portlaoise €212k

Nov 2025
Clonard Wexford €360k ⬆️106%
Carlow Town €330k (2bed) ⬆️66%
Sligo €270 (duplex) ⬆️54%
Portlaoise €370k⬆️ 75%

Construction tender inflation 2021-25 ≈⬆️28% (SCSI) so it’s not bricks/mortar
Carlow pic Portlaoise pic Sligo pic Wexford pic
November 15, 2025 at 11:00 AM
orla-hegarty.bsky.social
this 🧵 was originally posted in ~that other place~ on 12 June 2021 & is re-posted here unedited bsky.app/profile/orla...
Pic original thread
November 15, 2025 at 10:30 AM
orla-hegarty.bsky.social
Why SupplySupplySupply won’t solve the housing affordability problem

#10 Market prices are not in the main driven by construction costs (current difficulties with pandemic & Brexit aside)

As evidenced by sales prices of private developers outside Dublin <€212,000 3-bed houses
new house Wexford €175000 New house Sligo €175000 New house Portlaoise €212500 New house Carlow €199000
November 15, 2025 at 10:26 AM