The High Court will refer to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) legal questions arising in a challenge taken against the Government’s apartment standards guidelines. In a judgment on Wednesday, Mr Justice Richard Humphreys said he proposed referring to the court questions relating to the interpretation of the EU’s Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Directive, a key issue in the challenge to the guidelines. They claim the guidelines should have been subjected to a strategic environmental assessment. The apartment guidelines, published by Minister for Housing James Browne in July, introduced changes aimed at bridging a “viability gap” that the Government said has stymied apartment building. Last month, the court was informed that the Government intends to replace the guidelines with a national planning statement, which will be subjected to an environmental assessment.

Source: The Irish Times December 18, 2025 10:44 UTC