Sir, – Harry McGee,reported that Simon Harris has announced impending Cabinet approval of new (relaxed) rural housing guidelines with potential to provide up to 2,500 additional housing units per year (“New ribbon development expected to bring 50 per cent increase in one-off housing builds,” June 17th). The negative impact this will have on climate crisis mitigation has been well rehearsed in these pages. The article also references Harris’s statement that “every arm of the State must play its part in addressing dereliction and unlocking housing supply” and that “Government must lead by example in bringing vacant buildings back into use”.The Town Centre First policy launched by Government in 2022 fully encapsulates the vision required to address these issues and the 2025 report by the cross-sector Coalition Vacant to Vibrant Building Alliance sets out key recommendations that will enable delivery of that vision.Government should demonstrate real leadership by supporting and implementing the initiatives outlined in the report, which envisages that “unlocking the potential of underused buildings in towns and cities,” can deliver more than 120,000 additional residential units cost efficiently, with only 25 per cent of the carbon emissions incurred by new build development; offer speedy delivery by “plugging in” to existing infrastructure; regenerate, revitalise and improve the social fabric of existing urban centres and provide a model for future sustainable investment in our towns and cities. – Yours, etc,ANNE LYNCH, Circular Built Environment,Dublin 3.