DUBLIN City Council is to consider planning regulations to allow log cabins to be built in the gardens of home.

People Before Profit councillor John Lyons is to bring a motion before September's meeting of the planning and property development strategic policy committee (SPC) of the council to discuss amending planning laws to allow cabins to be built as a way of tackling the housing crisis.

At the moment any structure above 25sq m needs planning permission and the council can order a cabin to be removed if it is built without proper permission.

The housing crisis has forced people into building log cabins as a means of saving for a home of their own he said, and he wants planning laws to be reviewed to reflect this practise.

"A reasonable response to that by some people has been to construct log cabins in the back garden of their parent's homes or their friend's homes as a way of somewhat temporarily stepping out of the rather overheated private rental market so as to be able to save up some money for a deposit for a home for their families," he told Newstalk Breakfast.

The crisis should not be used to introduce bad planning laws he said but he added his proposal is "sensible" and "modest" and deserves to be debated.

Issues such as how long the cabins could be in place for and planning considerations such as access and fire safety all need to be teased out also he added.

Restrictions such as how long the cabin could be in place for should also form part of the discussion Mr Lyons said, adding that five years would be a "fair time frame".

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