Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown puts mandatory passive house target into draft county development plan

We've been working quietly away on this for a while - and I have been co-opted onto the board of the Passive House Association of Ireland, principally to work on this - but I'm excited to say that Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council passed a motion this evening to make the passive house standard (or equivalent) mandatory for all new buildings in the county from 2016 onwards. UK clients, please don't feel like we're neglecting you. We are pottering away on a proposal for your market too, though the formidable obstacle that is the right honourable Eric Pickles means we have to tackle public buildings only, thanks to an entirely retrograde conclusion of his housing standards review.

Don't get too excited - this still has to go to public consultation, and there are bound to be dissenting voices, but we have a real opportunity of making this happen. Believe me, I wouldn't have put the work into this that I have so far if I didn't think there was a very strong chance that we can get this through. Those of you who know me well will be aware that we have experience of getting these kinds of motions through. For instance, in 2005-2006 I worked heavily on proposals to get energy and carbon reductions of between 40 and 60% compared to building regulations of the time - plus mandatory renewables - into planning requirements in Fingal, Wicklow and, yes, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Councils. In the end we got those very same changes - 40% energy/carbon reductions, rising to 60%, along with mandatory renewables - into Part L of Ireland's building regulations.

We'll be presenting the arguments for such an approach in the magazine and elsewhere.

Click here to view a webcast of the meeting. The key action begins at 20:23, and for an anorak like me it makes compelling viewing.

Once I get the agreed text of the motion, I'll put it up here too.