Design guide · Kildare County Council
Rural House Design Guide (County Development Plan 2023–2029, appendix 4)
The council's guidance on siting and designing a house in the countryside.
Kildare County Council · 2023 · 69 pages
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- 8. EXTENSIONS, ACCESSIBILITY & LIFETIME ADAPTABILITY 63 8.3 - Lifetime Adaptability: Designers should consider not just the immediate needs of the occupiers but also their changing needs over a lifetime. The design of the new house should provide flexibility in use and adaptability. A larger roof may be incorporated into the design to facilitate attic conversions for potential future needs. However, it is important that roof pitches and overhangs are not excessive and remain in proportion with the dwelling. It is advisable to ensure that the house can provide for the needs of older people who may wish to remain independent in their homes by planning for future bedrooms downstairs during the design phase so that costly remodelling of the house is avoided at a later stage. This room could also facilitate ‘remote working’ possibilities. Consider the internal layout with future adaptability in mind i.e., could a downstairs room be used as a bedroom and link into an adjacent bathroom? The incorporation of ‘soft-spots’ into internal partitions and external walls should also be considered to allow for easy future adaptability.
- 8. EXTENSIONS, ACCESSIBILITY & LIFETIME ADAPTABILITY 64 Key considerations: - Proposals for extensions to vernacular structures need careful consideration. Design should respect but not imitate the original dwelling. - Design the extension to be subservient to the main dwelling. i.e., smaller in scale / height. - Clearly distinguish the extension from the original dwelling. - Break down massing of structures if an extension has a larger floor area than the original footprint. - Use narrow plan elements to break down the massing. - The shape of larger extensions should ensure that the structure appears subservient to the main dwelling. - The dwelling should be accessible for those with moderate mobility difficulties and for occupants as they age. - Allow for the internal layout to be adaptable to facilitate the changing needs of occupants. - When choosing a site for a dwelling, consider whether the site has capacity to accommodate a future extension if required.
- 9. SERVICED SITES 65 In this section, serviced sites are discussed and how they can integrate into the landscape. The following aspects are considered: x Planning Policy x Site Strategy x Design Criteria x Infrastructure and Services x Design Statement and Masterplan 9.1 - Planning Policy It is a policy under HO P22 of the County Development Plan 2023-2029 to promote and facilitate the provision of sustainable alternatives to one-off housing through the designation of lands specifically for serviced sites across a series of villages and rural settlements in County Kildare. 9.2 – Serviced Site Strategy As with individual sites discussed throughout this document, many of the same principles apply when considering a serviced sites development in a rural area, such as: x Landscape Character x Capacity of the area to absorb further development x Views x Topography x Pattern of development in the area x Aspect and orientation x Prevailing winds x Site Context (i.e. site boundaries, neighbouring uses, access, etc.) When considering a serviced site development, applicants and agents should appraise the capacity of the area for absorbing additional development of this size. In rural areas, where there is an existing focal point such as a church, school or shop, the key design issues will be integration with the existing settlement pattern in terms of scale and visual impact. A serviced site development may be planned and designed as a complete development but may also be developed on a phased basis, where one or more units may be built at a time. Figure 9.1 is an example of a Site Analysis showing the context of a proposed serviced site development. The drawing shows various existing features which any new development would have to respond to and address, such as a river, native woodland, public road, and hedgerows. Each site will present its own unique analysis issues, and may include flood risk, zones of archaeological potential, protected views etc. Where a serviced site scheme is proposed a design statement shall be prepared to assist future homeowners in designing their own bespoke home.
- 9. SERVICED SITES 66 Figure 9.1 – Example of a preliminary site analysis drawing for a serviced site development. 9.3 – Design Criteria Applying good design principles will ensure that serviced site developments integrate with the character and natural setting of the area, while also delivering high quality, energy efficient homes. Issues to be considered in the design strategy are: - Assimilating the development with the topography as appropriate, maintaining existing site levels where possible and maintaining the natural landscape as a backdrop on all sites, but particularly on elevated sites. - Retaining existing natural features where feasible on approach roads and boundaries, i.e., mature hedgerows, stone walls, trees, removing only what is required to provide site access and sight lines. - One site entrance from the public road should be provided to access all dwellings. - Identifying and respecting the character of any historical structures on and in the vicinity of the site and seek to integrate and enhance views of these structures where possible. - Reflecting the character of development in the rural area in terms of scale, form, & massing. - Identifying the prevailing winds for each site, sun path and shadows. - Where relevant, enhance and develop connections to the village centre providing connectivity links to promote active travel (walking and cycling) to nearby amenities (i.e., schools where relevant).
- 9. SERVICED SITES 67 The principles outlined and discussed throughout this document in relation to one-off houses also applies to these developments such as Orientation, Form and Massing, Roof finishes, Wall finishes, Window finishes, Door finishes and Landscaping. 9.4 – Infrastructure and Services Access: Provision should be made for only one shared access point from the public road and the internal access road should be a shared surface roadway. The road access should be responsive to the natural features and contours of the site. If the site is located in an area with footpaths, provision should be made to connect with these. Access to a serviced site development should be designed to ensure that the principal design issues of road safety, visibility, and protection of the rural character of the area are achieved. Access requirements will be considered on a caseby-case basis, depending on site location and road status. Water and wastewater: A key consideration is ensuring that a suitable supply of water and a form of wastewater treatment infrastructure is in place, that ensures there is no adverse impact on the local environment. Priority will be towards the connection of all clustered housing to the public wastewater treatment plant, discharging to individual on-site treatment systems or to a communal re-constituted wetland. Private collective wastewater treatment plants will be discouraged. There are three potential water services options or scenarios: 1. Serviced: Where the public wastewater treatment is in place, the technical requirements of Irish Water shall be met. A pre-connection enquiry is advised before progressing to planning application stage. 2. Serviced but with capacity constraints: Where the public wastewater treatment system is in place but there are capacity constraints, the developer shall examine options in consultation with Irish Water to up-grade the public system. Where an up-grade is not feasible, the Council may consider on-site treatment options, until such time as a connection becomes possible. In this scenario the development should be designed to facilitate future connections to the public mains and sewer.
- 9. SERVICED SITES 68 3. Un-serviced Developments: Where a site is not serviced by a public treatment plant, on-site wastewater treatment systems will be required to be designed, constructed and maintained in accordance with the ‘EPA Code of Practice Wastewater Treatment and Disposal Systems for Single Houses’ in place at the time of the application. Surface water In relation to surface water, management schemes will be required to show full details for surface water management. Nature based solutions to surface water are particularly encouraged, such as green roofs, swales, bioretention areas, rain gardens and wetlands. Surface water run-off should be dealt with, within each site. Surface water from the internal access road or public road should be piped / drained to a soakpit or watercourse. Figure 9.2 – Example of a potential serviced sites layout
- 9. SERVICED SITES 69 9.5 – Design Statement and Masterplan Any planning application for a serviced sites development must be accompanied by a Design Statement and Masterplan to include the following: 1. A detailed Site Analysis setting out the site context including details of the site selection process, site appraisal, topography analysis, landscape & heritage features, orientation, and aspect. 2. A Design Statement prepared by a suitably qualified professional outlining the design approach to the proposed site layout. 3. A Landscaping Plan to address the entire development, to confirm existing features to be retained, mitigation measures to screen the scheme, landscaping proposals (to include native species and measures to address biodiversity) and details of all site boundaries. 4. An Infrastructure Statement outlining how the development is to be serviced in terms of access, water, wastewater, and surface water. 5. A statement regarding the impact of the scheme on the landscape having regard to the landscape character area which the site is located in. 6. A House Design statement to include details of a palette of materials to be used throughout, building lines, building heights etc. 7. A Management and Implementation plan.
- 9. SERVICED SITES 70 Key considerations: - The site should have the capacity to accommodate a serviced site development. - The site will need to be served by suitable infrastructure (i.e., sewerage, water, access). - Ensure there is a focal point to cluster the development around to form a community (i.e., church, school, shop, pub) - The focal point should have capacity to absorb more housing. - Ensure the development integrates and has relationships with existing buildings. - Each unit should follow individual rural house guidelines in terms of scale, massing, and orientation. - Schemes should be designed by an architect or other suitably qualified professional.
- 10. APPLICANT CHECKLIST 71 Applicants should consider the following prior to appointing an agent to submit a proposal for a new rural dwelling. Should applicants fail to comply with policy / criteria outlined below they may wish to explore alternative options, other than a new rural dwelling. ¾ Do you have a genuine housing need? If you already own a house this may be problematic. ¾ Do you have a social or economic need to build a new home and live in the countryside? ¾ Do you live or have you previously lived in the area for a considerable period? (i.e., 16 years) ¾ Is the area you live in located within Rural Housing Policy Zone 1 or Zone 2? See Map 3.1 of the County Development Plan. ¾ Is the site you are interested in located within 5km of the original family home (Zone 1 and Zone 2)? ¾ Are there a significant number of one-off houses already in the area? ¾ Will the addition of this dwelling constitute ribbon development? (i.e., 5 or more houses along 250 metres on one side of any road) ¾ Can the site facilitate safe entry and exit of vehicles? Clear visibility is required. ¾ Is the site within a Special Area of Conservation (SAC)? See Map 12.1 of the County Development Plan. ¾ Is the site within a Natural Heritage Area (NHA)? See Map 12.2 of the County Development Plan. ¾ Is the site within a sensitive landscape? See Map 13.2 of the County Development Plan. If the applicant does not have a housing need, does not have a requirement to live in the countryside or has not lived in the area (within 5km) for a considerable period (generally 16 years) they do not meet criteria and are unlikely to be successful in securing permission for a new rural dwelling. Should the applicant meet the housing / local need criteria they should then consider whether the area can absorb further development. In many areas of the county this may be difficult to achieve given the high number of rural houses in County Kildare. If the applicant is satisfied that they meet the above criteria and that the proposed location can absorb further development, they may wish to then engage an agent to develop a suitable design proposal for the site using the design principles outlined in the Rural Design Guide.
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.