Design guide · Clare County Council
Clare Rural House Design Guide
The council's guidance on siting and designing a house in the countryside.
Clare County Council · 88 pages
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- Location Siting Landscape Entrance & Boundary Environmental issues Location and Siting 33
- 34 County Clare has many areas designated for environmental protection, i.e. Special Areas of Conservation (SAC), Special Protection Areas (SPA) and Natural Heritage Areas (NHA). Likewise there are over 6,000 Archaeological sites listed as Recorded Monuments for protection. Contact The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) (065–683 7166) for further information on proposed developments within or close by these designated areas. The Record of Monuments and Places (Map and Text Booklet) is available in each of the branch libraries throughout the county as well as the council headquarters. Pressures on the coastline leading to linear ribbon development
- 35 Introduction This section outlines the key considerations for finding a site in the landscape and the positioning of the building within the boundaries of the chosen site. The siting of a building in the countryside is one of the most important aspects of the planning process. Location Selection of an appropriate site with regard to the relevant documents and policies of the Planning Authority will save time and expense at the planning application stage. The following are guidelines for finding a site in the open countryside of County Clare:- 1. Refer to those areas which are designated Vulnerable Landscape Areas and Scenic Routes in The County Clare Development Plan. Avoid areas of the countryside which are less able to absorb development without significant impact upon their character, integrity and uniformity. The County Development Plan contains policies to protect such areas from inappropriate development and to preserve views and prospects from designated Scenic Routes. 2. Review access onto a public road and site distances. Will a new entrance be detrimental to traffic safety in the area and is there a safe and satisfactory view of traffic approaching along a public road to the appropriate highway’s guidelines? 3. Study the character and physical attributes of the landscape and the form of generic buildings in the area before selecting a site. Consider whether your proposal will be compatible with the surrounding landscape and buildings. 4. Choose a site where natural features or the presence of trees and mature planting will minimise the visual impact of a building in the landscape. Avoid breaking the skyline or waterline when the building is viewed from a distance. Avoid adding to ribbon development. 5. Choose a sheltered site by avoiding elevated and exposed locations such as hilltops and ridge lines. This can help in reducing future maintenance and heating costs. Note the daily path of the sun to maximise on natural sunlight for warmth and light in living spaces. 6. Check available infrastructure in the area. e.g. water, sewerage, roads, schools, public transport, churches, shops, telephone, electricity…. 7. Undertake a full site assessment to discover whether the ground conditions are suitable and check that there is adequate percolation for a sewage treatment system. 8. Removal of hedgerow or other vegetation to accommodate a new dwelling site entrance can be seriously detrimental to the rural character of an area.Location and Siting Copies of the Clare County Development Plan, Local Area Plans and other Guidance leaflets on making an application are available from the Planning Dept., Clare County Council.
- 36 Note: It is illegal to clear vegetation within designated sites Special Areas of Conservation, Natural Heritage Areas, Special Protection Areas and near recorded monuments, noted in the Sites and Monuments Record 1992 and Recorded Monuments 1996, or other protected sites without prior approval from National Parks and Wildlife Service and other relevant bodies. A tree felling license is required from the Forest Service to fell existing trees in the countryside. Both Sites A & B are poorly located in that they present a danger to traffic and dwelling owners due to poor sight distances from the proposed entrances. Site C is located on a straighter section of the road with clear visibility of the road. Also the building can be set back from the immediate road frontage allowing opportunities for landscape works and preservation of existing hedgerows. Reference should be made to the Planning Application Form for entrance set out and set back. This dwelling was constructed with consideration to the existing treescape and landscape, which leads to an attractive composition for a large house in a rural setting. The use of colour, stone finishes, window types and plaster detail, work together to form the composition. Avoid high, prominent and exposed sites or hillcrests. These locations detract from the visual amenity of the landscape and the skyline A good location below the hilltop, no interference with the landscape skyline
- 37 Siting - Placing your dwelling within its site boundaries Choose a sheltered site and check available infrastructure to avoid hidden costs. Identify the characteristics of the site such as contours, trees and hedgerows to integrate the building into the landscape. Ensure that the site has sufficient depth to be able to locate the building back from the road edge. A dwelling fronting directly on to a road can significantly change the character of the rural setting save where the established pattern of development in an area is adjacent the public road. • Orientate the building to maximise shelter, direct sunlight and natural warmth. • Take note of places where you can get good views of the site so that the potential impact of developing the site can be assessed from the surrounding area. • Position the building to avoid overlooking or loss of light to neighbouring properties. • The driveway should not have a greater visual impact than the building itself. Where appropriate, creative and innovative design solutions will be encouraged which address the changing lifestyle needs, adopting and addressing the new technologies available to the building industry and respecting existing landscape of the site in order to improve the quality of the built environment.Location and Siting This illustration highlights the daily path of the sun to maximise on natural sunlight for warmth and light in living spaces
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- 39 Landscape Works Provision should be made where possible to retain and integrate existing trees, hedgerows, walls, rock outcrop, and other landscape features into the development. Plant native deciduous trees and shrubs indigenous to the area. (For advice on suitable native trees and shrubs, contact the Forestry Service or Heritage Officer, Clare County Council or a suitably qualified landscape designer). See Appendix 1.Location and Siting Have regard to local wildlife and nature that is dependent on the natural countryside and the protection provided by existing landscape and hedgerows. Retain existing features, slopes and contours of the natural site where possible. Moving original hedgerows can be achieved in many cases if done correctly. Hedgelaying and rejuvenation is promoted. Consideration should be given to local wildlife and the impact of any proposal to the natural environment. Guidance should be sought from the Heritage Officer on Special Areas of Conservation and wildlife protection measures required. The house is located within the landscape utilising existing vegetation and indigenous trees The house sits awkwardly at the crest of the hill with species of tree in conflict with the surrounding natural vegetation
- 40 Designing for Shelter Existing boundaries should be retained where possible to include planting, hedgerows and trees. Boundaries such as indigenous hedgerow, stone wall or earth and stone banks are often more attractive and less obtrusive than new fences or walls and provide significant shelter belts for new developments. There is also the ecological benefits of maintaining the natural habitats of certain animal and bird species. Using Sheds / Outbuildings Using Planting Using existing land contours Example of a farm utilising out buildings in courtyard to provide shelter in an exposed landscape.
Source Clare County Council: Clare Rural House Design Guide · Licence the publisher's termsText read from the publisher’s PDF; tables, maps and drawings do not survive as text, and page numbers are the PDF’s (its first page is 1). Check the original before relying on a passage.