Design guide · Cork County Council
Cork Rural Design Guide
The council's guidance on siting and designing a house in the countryside.
Cork County Council · 128 pages
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- 9 this guide will emphasise: Stewardship/Guardianship - Each one of us has a responsibility as steward of the countryside not just to preserve heritage, but to create a heritage for the enjoyment of future generations. The building of a new house in the countryside should be a positive addition to the rural environment and not appear incongruous with, or detract from, its surroundings. A Sense of Place and Community - Much of the character and quality of the Cork countryside derives from the range of traditional buildings and their use of local materials. These buildings are part of Cork’s heritage and regional identity. Whilst not advocating an imitation of the past, new buildings should reflect the dynamics of their location, the availability of local materials and the built character of what has gone before. Contemporary Rural Living and Lifestyles - Adaptation to modern living and lifestyles must be an essential component of any new design. This guide aims to offer a more exciting and sympathetic alternative to the suburban style of many new rural homes. The Long Term - A new dwelling permanently alters the landscape, therefore a new building needs to be designed and constructed with a view to the long term implications of its impact on its surroundings. Buildings should be durable, capable of future adaptation, and integrate fully with the local landscape. Innovation and Quality - Striking a balance between prescription and innovation, tradition and contemporary is not always an easy task. Good design respects and learns from what has gone before and interprets traditional forms and materials in the contemporary context. Innovative design is a welcome addition to the rural countryside, but only if expertly and sensitively handled. Affordability - Good design does not equate to expensive design. It is just as possible to have a well-designed affordable home in a rural landscape, as it is to have a badly designed costly dwelling. This guide recognises that not all applicants wishing to build in a rural locality can afford to pay a designer. However by sticking to the general rules of simplicity and modesty it is possible to construct a well-designed, affordable “dream home”. 13 14 1615
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- 11 good planning & design This guide is laid out to take you through the following considerations when preparing to submit a planning application. These considerations are not sequential but need to be addressed in parallel to produce the most favourable outcome. Each aspect is designed to assist you to submit a successful proposal for a new house in the Cork countryside. These considerations are summarised in the following key points: A checklist is provided at the end of each section to alert you to potential problems and to guide you along. The worked example at the end shows you exactly what the planner will need in order to consider and assess your application. It is important to note that, in all instances, your building must comply with current Building Regulations. careful site selection Check location issues in the County Development Plan. Seek out good ‘Natural Sites’, which will reduce the impact of new houses. Choose sites offering shelter, privacy and good orientation, i.e. allow more extensive south-facing glazing unseen from neighbouring roads, with existing features if possible. Recognise that prominent or sensitive sites will require more care and skilful handling. Avoid sites that will entail removal of attractive roadside hedgerows, trees, etc. well considered site layout Address prominence, shelter, passive solar gain, privacy and impact issues with various house locations, types and orientations before finalising site selection or house design. Maximise the benefit of existing site features. Ensure the house appears to sit down into the site. Address functional engineering issues in parallel, such as safe access, drainage, etc. Reduce the openness of the site by breaking it down into different areas. Locate cars out of sight. Minimise green baize lawn areas. appropriate house design The site and the development of a good layout should inform the shape and height of a new house. Keep the shape of the house very simple. Minimise modelling of the ‘front’ facade. Develop the house design to incorporate attributes of rural houses of the area, paying particular attention to good proportioning. Cork rural houses tend to be deceptively simple and well-mannered. Always ask if the house proposed is appropiate to the site context, if not seek an alternative site or different house design. Be aware that larger houses need large sites and/or massing needs to be simply broken down. landscape design In parallel with site and house design, the landscape ‘design’ of the site should endeavour to link the new house with the countryside around it. House, garden and landscape must be designed as a unit if the house is to achieve a strong link to the land. Differing types of countryside will result in different appropriate responses to the landscape. Aim to achieve naturalistic planting effects using predominately indigenous/local species and groupings. Buffer the house from the road or public view to reduce impact and leave the existing roadside/ hedgerow/ boundary intact wherever possible. Make areas for plants to grow against the new house. Minimise the extent of mown lawn areas. good construction ‘The devil is in the detail’. Traditional detailing gives many clues as to how new houses can settle more happily with older neighbouring houses, irrespective of style. Irish rural houses traditionally rely solely on attractive proportioning, careful use of colour and quality of materials for their success. More often there was substance to what was built. For example houses near the coast look as if they were built for hurricane climates with minimal eaves and verge, etc. Avoid white plastic and `add-on frills’ wherever possible.
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- 13 Check the development plan Reading the landscape Choosing where to build Assessing a site’s potential Linking with the land Summary & Checklist site selection part one
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- 15 site selection The successful siting of a new house in the countryside requires care and consideration. It should involve an analysis of the impact the house will have on the appearance of the land, the impact it will have on the comfort of its occupants, together with practical considerations of connecting to power, water and roads. The landscapes of the County differ so much that the response to location will reflect local circumstances and local settlement patterns. This section helps you to identify landscape characteristics and gives advice on how you can work with these characteristics to integrate your new home into the very fabric of the countryside. A well sited house will save you money because it will be well sheltered, retain more heat and use less energy When choosing a site check the Cork County Development Plan, and any Local Area Plan for the locality, in particular for: • Policies restricting/permitting development in certain areas eg. Greenbelt, Coastal Areas, Rural Housing Control Zone etc • Scenic Amenity Maps - scenic routes and scenic landscapes; • Heritage maps - Natural Heritage Areas (NHA), Special Protection Areas (SPA) and candidate Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and Areas of Geological Interest; • Landscape Character Maps; • Archaeology policies, the Record of Protected Structures and conservation policies. If your site falls within any of these areas take advice from the Council Planning Department before proceeding. The aim is to ensure that new development appears visually integrated and sympathetic with its surrounding landscape rather than imposed upon it. A dwelling badly sited will alter the character and appearance of the landscape, often setting a poor precedent for future development to follow. However, where siting is carefully considered, it is possible to construct a dwelling that not only contributes to the character of the landscape but which sets high standards in terms of siting, location, and design, and which both respects and reflects local traditions. It will be oriented to face south for warmth, and be landscaped to provide shelter from the prevailing wind and be situated to provide privacy from the road. 19
- As the largest county in Ireland, the landscapes we have in Cork vary greatly. It is a rich and diverse landscape. Landscape types range from the rolling hills, valleys and scrub of the farmland and moorlands of north Cork, through the low-lying flatlands, rivers and lakes of the central area, to the uplands and valleys of the east. This contrasts with the rocky and rugged ridges and peninsulas to the west, particularly along the Beara peninsula, and the patchwork of fertile coastline mixed with estuarine mudflats along the southern coastal region. Also, one must not forget the multitude of islands off the west coast of the County, with their myriad stone walls marking out field boundaries. Geologically the County is comprised of two rock types: predominantly old red sandstone, with a smattering of carboniferous limestone more dominant in the south and east, both of which influence the raw materials used for construction. Each of these landscapes require different considerations, particularly when selecting a site for a building platform. A regional variation in housing design occurs within the County, related to the East/West regional variation throughout Ireland. Variations in regional housing design were a direct response to the local environment. Mountains • Derrynasaggart • Ballyhoura • Nagles Fertile Plain of Blackwater Valley • Banteer • Mallow • Fermoy Fissured Marginal and Forested Rolling Upland • Boggeragh • Mullaghareirk River and Reservoir Valleys Ridged, Peaked & Forested Upland • Inishcarra • Inchigeelagh • Coachford • Millstreet • Macroom reading the landscape 2321 2220 16
- Throughout the County, buildings were orientated to make best use of shelter and sun, using natural features such as the lie of the land combined with hedgerows and shelterbelts to best protect them from the elements. Small farm holdings and clachans were more common in the west of the County, as was the long house. The coastal islands, most of which lie off the west or southwest coastline, were more exposed and therefore dwellings tended to be single storey with west-facing gable ends for shelter. These included Congested Districts Board housing such as rural labourers’ cottages, and were essentially improved versions of traditional dwellings, perpetuating the lobby entrance but replacing the hipped roofs with gables and the thatch with slates. Almost all of the houses on Long Island, southwest Cork, were rebuilt by the Congested Districts Board, using two-storeyed farmhouses and small houses with attic bedrooms. In the north and east of the County, with its rolling hills and valleys, the hipped roof was more prevalent. Walls were traditionally mud and stone and roofs were often thatched, reflecting the agricultural nature of settlement. From the 19th century slate replaced thatch as the dominant roof material. Corrugated iron was also used to replace thatch. Lowland Valleys • Dunmanway • Bandon Valley • Drimoleague • Castlemartyr • Bride Valley Indented Estuarine Coast & Broad Bay Coast South Cork Robert’s Head Oyster Haven Kinsale harbour West Cork Courtmacsherry Clonakilty Headlands - West Cork • Beara Peninsula • Sheeps Head • Mizen Head • Kinsale Head • Galley Head • Myross Coastal Islands • Whiddy • Horse • Hare • Sherkin East Cork Youghal Ballycotton Cork Harbour Coastal Islands • Dursey • Long • Bear • Clear (Oilean Cleire) 24 25 2726 17
- 18 choosing where to build Having considered the nature of the landscape in which we want to build, we then need to choose where in that landscape it is best to locate a new house. Two factors should dominate this decision - shelter and orientation towards the sun. Some sites require different responses to others. Less sensitive sites can take much more individualistic houses, whereas more prominent or sensitive sites require greater skill and care. A great deal can be learnt from observation of traditional methods of site layout, which appear more integrated within the landscape. These involve making use of natural tucks in the landscape, sheltered areas beside woodland, working with gradients and not against them, and generally choosing locations which avoid the worst effects of the wind and the rain. Distance to local facilities should be a critical factor in selecting a site. Try to choose a site that is close to work, school and shops etc. to avoid the need to travel too far for daily journeys avoid exposure & prominence • Avoid building on prominent, unsheltered hillside location • Avoid building on ridges - prominent, exposed with huge heat losses in winter • Study the alignment and orientation of older houses in the area e.g. the traditional alignment of houses - gable to wind/west to maximise shelter and reduce exposure
Source Cork County Council: Cork Rural 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.