Rural House Design Guide (County Development Plan 2023–2029, appendix 4)

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   CONTENTS 1 - INTRODUCTION 2 - SITE SELECTION 3 - SITE ANALYSIS AND LAYOUT 4 - HOUSE DESIGN 5 - ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS 6 - SUSTAINABILITY AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY 7 – ELEMENTS OF LANDSCAPE 8 – EXTENSIONS, ACCESSIBILITY AND LIFETIME ADAPTABILITY 9 – SERVICED SITES 10 - APPLICANT CHECKLIST

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   1. INTRODUCTION 1 The Kildare Rural House Design Guide has been prepared in accordance with Objective RD O1 of the Kildare County Development Plan 2023- 2029 and it forms an Appendix to the Kildare County Development Plan 2023-2029. This document provides guidance on planning for a new home in rural County Kildare, with an emphasis on the importance of siting and good quality sustainable design. Advice is provided for single one-off houses and serviced site developments. The guide should be read in conjunction with the policies and objectives contained in the Kildare County Development Plan to assist in the planning of housing in rural areas. The purpose of the document is to aid applicants and designers by: - Outlining the key issues to consider in terms of site selection. - Offering helpful hints and solutions to integrate houses into the landscape. - Highlighting good and bad design responses to common site issues. - Presenting suitable proportions, features and materials to be considered in the countryside. - Providing examples of successful extensions to vernacular structures which can bring old dwellings back into use whilst also offering an alternative to unsuitable sites. - Providing advice on sustainability and energy efficiency in the home, and - Demonstrating preferable design proposals for serviced sites. The guide is primarily aimed at applicants intending to build a house in the countryside. Applicants are encouraged to seek the services of a skilled architect or competent design professional to advise at the earliest stage of a project.

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   2. SITE SELECTION 2 When considering building a new home in rural County Kildare, the approach to site selection is crucial. This section sets out advice in relation to the following: x Refining the location x Filtering within selected area x What to do x What to avoid 2.1 – Refining the Location Rural Housing Policy In the first instance, Applicants must consider if they comply with the Rural Housing Policy pertaining to the area. Applicants should familiarise themselves with the Rural Housing Policies and Rural Housing Zones (1 & 2) contained in Chapter 3 of the County Development Plan (CDP). Establishing Local Need is a crucial first step in this process and applicants are advised to avail of a pre-planning consultation with the Planning Department in this regard. If the applicant’s local need has been established and the general local area has been identified, the next step should be to consider if the locality can absorb further development. Map 3.1 in the Kildare County Development Plan 2023- 2029 illustrates the Rural Housing Policy Zones (reproduced in Figure 2.1 here). Figure 2.1 – Rural Housing Policy Zones. (Refer to Chapter 3, Map 3.1 of the CDP for further details).

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   2. SITE SELECTION 3 It may prove more difficult to find suitable sites in ‘Zone 1 – Areas under Strong Urban Influence’. Many parts within this area already have a high density of one-off rural dwellings. Applicants in these areas may find it difficult to find sites capable of absorbing further development. ‘Zone 2 – Stronger Rural Areas’ do not have the same level of one-off housing built in comparison with Zone 1 and is therefore more likely to have capacity to absorb further development. Landscape Character Applicants and designers should also check the type of landscape their locality is in. The County’s Landscape Character Areas are set out in the proposed County Development Plan 2023-2029 (reproduced in Figure 2.2 here). Localities in unique, special, or high sensitivity landscapes may find it difficult to integrate with the surrounding area (e.g., Western Boglands, Eastern Uplands etc.). Design proposals for sites located within sensitive landscapes will need to be of a high standard to integrate with the surroundings without injury to the landscape character. Scenic routes and Protected Views throughout the County are included in Chapter 13 of the County Development Plan and applicants should familiarise themselves with these also. Figure 2.2 – Landscape Character Areas in Kildare Refer to Chapter 13. Map 13.1 of the CDP for further details).

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   2. SITE SELECTION 4 2.2 – Filtering within selected area The following guiding principles should be incorporated into the site selection process. A list of key considerations is outlined at the end of this chapter to help applicants and designers in this regard. Reuse of existing buildings In the first instance, applicants should consider whether there are existing dwellings or buildings in the locality that can be renovated or extended to meet their housing need. Renovation of an existing rural building could provide a satisfactory solution to housing need. Where additional accommodation is required this could be achieved by extending the existing structure in a sympathetic and appropriate manner. Alternatively, existing buildings can be retained as out-buildings with a new structure integrated into the group. This is considered further in Section 8 of this Guide. Further advice is also available from ‘Reusing Farm Buildings: A Kildare Perspective’. An advantage of bringing derelict traditional vernacular structures back into use is that applicant(s) are not required to comply with the Rural Housing policy (i.e., local need criteria). Clustering Clustering involves the location of a new home close to an existing dwelling(s), farm buildings or other structures. The benefits of this arise from borrowing existing screening from site boundaries and vegetation, thus reducing the visual impact of a new structure on the landscape. Some examples of clustering can be seen in Figures 2.3 and 2.4 below. All sites within a landholding should be assessed having regard to the criteria listed in Section 2.3. Figure 2.3 - A site with good development potential within an existing cluster of rural buildings utilising existing boundaries.

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   2. SITE SELECTION 5 Figure 2.4 – Example of suitable sites within a farm landholding

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   2. SITE SELECTION 6 ‘Greenfield’ sites Where the re-use of an existing building or clustering is not feasible or viable, a greenfield site may be considered. When building a house in the rural countryside the selection of the ‘right’ site requires careful consideration. Development in the countryside has tended to focus on the use of road frontage, often carved out of larger fields. Here, buildings dominate the view and inappropriate suburban gardens with discordant roadside boundary treatments and gates are introduced into the landscape. Such development changes the character of the countryside and, when repeated, leads to ribbon development and a loss of rural character of the area. Figure 2.5 illustrates an example of ribbon development. Figure 2.5 - Ribbon Development Figure 2.6 - Avoid Sites which could lead to the eventual merging of individual settlements. It is preferable to choose a site which has existing mature boundaries, established trees and vegetation, hedgerows, buildings, and other natural features as these provide a backdrop to development and can give new structures a sense of place. Rather than addressing the road frontage directly, applicants should consider locating the dwelling further back within the depth of the site and perpendicular to, or at an angle to, the road as this can often create a more interesting approach to the dwelling, improve orientation for solar gain and improve privacy and residential amenity.

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   2. SITE SELECTION 7 2.3 - What to Do: Applicants should first consider re-using, adapting, or extending existing rural structures where possible in the first instance. Explore the idea of clustering a new house with other houses or structures. Choose a site with identifiable and well-established boundaries which separate the site naturally from its surroundings. Look for sites with at least two boundaries in situ and preferably three. Look for sheltered locations beside woodland, mature hedgerows, lines of trees / shelterbelts. Carefully consider the siting and design of the dwelling so as to achieve good passive solar gain. Applicants should use existing site features and topography rather than clearing away elements that give the site interest and character. It is important to maintain and supplement existing structure planting, boundaries, hedgerows by using recommended species outlined in Section 7, of this document ‘Elements of the Landscape’. 2.4 – What to Avoid: Prominent / exposed sites or sites that would impinge on a protected landscape or view. Impacts on adjoining properties (e.g. overlooking or overshadowing. Development located near heritage features, archaeological or protected sites. Sites that require more than one new boundary. Exposed and open sites. - North facing sloping sites as they are difficult to achieve good passive solar gain. Sites carved out of larger fields as this has a significant visual impact. Sites which could lead to the eventual merging of individual settlements and contribute to ribbon development and urban sprawl. Figure 2.7 - A site carved out of a large field

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    2. SITE SELECTION 8 Key considerations: - Check the Kildare County Development Plan prior to identifying the preferred location to ascertain the following: o Rural Housing Policy for the area o Landscape sensitivity o Concentration of one-off houses in the area (see appendix 11 ‘Single Rural Dwelling Density’ Toolkit). - Check the locality for existing vacant houses/buildings that could be renovated. - Avoid a site that would contribute to ribbon development (i.e., five or more houses along 250m on one side of any road) or urban sprawl. - Consider the relationship between the size of the site and the size of the dwelling that is needed. Small sites generally cannot absorb large dwellings. - Choose a site that has existing boundaries and avoid carving a site out of a large field. - Utilise existing contours and boundaries to screen the dwelling and protect it from the elements.

Source Kildare County Council: Rural House Design Guide (County Development Plan 2023–2029, appendix 4) (2023) · 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.