Rural Design Guide (County Development Plan 2021–2027, appendix 7)

1. Page 21

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   21 should be used, such as flat dark tiles and natural slate (which are slightly textured and weather readily), sized to suit the scale of the roof and laid in diminishing courses from the eaves. • Rainwater goods should be as discrete as practicable. • Chimneys are an expected feature of houses in the countryside and can add interest to most types of building; their proportions and details should be appropriate to the size and style of house. Windows and Doors The elevational appearance of a building is determined more than anything else by the positioning, size and design of door and window openings. • The total area of window and door openings needs to be in proportion to the scale and style of the house. • Gable end and north facing walls will usually benefit from a lower ratio of opening to wall. • Windows should usually line-up over each other - although a carefully considered contemporary design can result in a visually balanced elevation with less regular pattern of openings. • The size of opening should reflect the function of the room - very small bathroom, cloakroom or landing windows can contribute to the composition of a façade by contrasting with more expansive openings to principal living areas. • Irregularly-sized windows and elaborate bay windows should be avoided. Extensions and Garages The addition of outbuildings or extensions can be one of the most controversial parts in the design of a house. The key objective is ensuring that the main house is clearly seen as the dominant element. The scale and detail of additions, garages in particular, should match the balance of the house and be subservient to it. With larger houses, detached garages may be more suitable, located discreetly to the rear or side of the main building. Extensions and garages should generally be built with similar materials to the existing house. Flat roof extensions should be avoided where they would conflict with the style of the main building. Over-scaled garage doors and the use of artificial materials should generally be avoided. Conservatories/Sun Rooms Conservatories or sun rooms can form attractive additions to the house if welllocated, as well as a means for achieving solar gain. Considerations of scale, proportion and spatial layout of the house are all important to ensure that a conservatory is an appropriate addition. They should not be added to front elevations, or appear too suburban or elaborate in style. Additions to gable ends or rear elevations are usually most appropriate. Artificial materials (e.g. UPVc) should be avoided. Generally painted timber is preferred, finished in muted tones such as grey-green. Whites and bright colours can be over-conspicuous, detracting from the appearance of the house. Re-use/conversion of Existing Buildings The adaptation and reuse of existing buildings is an important principle of sustainable development. The conversion of traditional rural buildings into contemporary living spaces can not only bring buildings back to life but may also provide opportunities to sensitively conserve the built heritage and maintain the character and distinctiveness of the area. There are numerous cases of empty and abandoned buildings located throughout

2. Page 22

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   22 rural County Laois. Many of these are former farm houses with ancillary outbuildings, located on well sized plots with mature screening and existing vehicular entrances. The approach to conversion should be simple and uncluttered, with no attempt to over-domesticate or suburbanise the building or its setting. The original idiosyncrasies of the building should be conserved and enhanced. Factors to be considered include: • The original building height and eaves lines must be fully respected. • The internal room layout should be arranged so that the original structure, openings and features can be retained, or adapted with as few external changes as possible. • The existing roof structure should be retained wherever possible, and left uncluttered. • Flush fitting roof lights are more suitable for buildings with low eaves, provided that they are narrow and not too large or numerous. • Roofing materials should be slate, laid to the original pattern. • All existing materials should be salvaged and reused - only good quality natural materials should be added and wherever possible of local origin. • The size, coursing, joint width and pointing on new stonework should match the original. • Window and door openings should preferably be unaltered - new openings where necessary should be vertically proportioned. • New window and door joinery should be purpose made. • Garages and workshops should preferably be provided by sensitively converting associated sheds and outbuildings. • Any essential new additions should be of materials that match or complement the main building to be converted, and carefully sited so as not to detract from its setting. Laois County Council is committed to securing high quality design throughout the county and engaging effectively with applicants. The Council has a duty to communicate to applicants the particular issues that need to be considered before making an application, and to explain to them what is required. Pre-planning meetings are therefore encouraged. Likewise applicants will be expected to demonstrate from the outset that careful consideration has been given to the location, siting, servicing and design of new housing in the countryside. In most cases the assistance of suitably qualified agents should be sought for preparing the application, especially where sensitive locations are involved. Not alone will this help foster good quality design work throughout the county, it should also bring about a reduction in the number of applications being refused outright for this reason or deferred pending submission of suitably amended plans. Applicants, and their agents, should familiarise themselves with the relevant policies of the County Development Plan, as well as the principles and advice contained in this Guide and other relevant Council documents. Guidance notes for completing a Planning Application form are obtainable from the Council. Failure to fully meet the STEP 5 Submitting Your Application

3. Page 23

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   23 requirements may result in an application being rejected as invalid or in a request for further information. It is in the applicants own interest to ensure that all required information and documentation are submitted at the beginning of the process so as to avoid unnecessary delay in processing the application. With applications for one-off houses in the countryside, the omissions that commonly occur include: Lack of sufficient site survey information Indicate existing and proposed site levels, and finished floor levels for all new houses. Many sites especially in the upland areas of the north-east and southeast of the county are sloping and the development must be designed with this factor in mind. However, even applications sites on more level terrain should be accompanied by this basic information. Inappropriate Site Layout Not maximising the impact of solar gain on living areas Indicate in as much detail as possible proposed building materials for all building elements including their colour, texture and form The scale and orientation of any adjoining buildings The provision of contiguous elevations and cross sections as well as photo-montages are crucial in assessing the interrelationship of new house types. Proper consideration of the landscaping factor can often be the difference in whether a scheme is Consider the spaces between buildings, their landscaping, planting and materials at the earliest stage in the design. A suitably qualified Landscape ultimately approved or not. Architect with special expertise in these matters should be involved in scheme design wherever possible, especially for sensitive or conspicuous sites. Include sufficient details on existing and proposed vegetation, hard landscaping materials and boundary treatments, planting species, and phasing of the landscape construction. Lack of sufficient details showing how the house will be serviced for wastewater disposal, water , access, surface water drainage and renewable energy sources There will be a presumption against the wholesale removal of mature front boundary ditches and hedgerows so as to achieve satisfactory sight distances. This will only be allowed in exceptional cases.

4. Page 24

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   24 Site Selection The applicant should: • Assess the suitability of a site in terms of its landscape character and the sensitivity and capacity of the area to absorb development? A thorough photographic record is essential for use during the site assessment process. Panoramic views are very useful for assessing the impact of potential development on the landscape setting. • Consult with Laois County Council if a site falls within or is located close to sensitive landscape areas or other environmental designation? County Laois has many designated areas for environmental protection, e.g. Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), Special Protection Area (SPA) and Natural Heritage Areas (NHAs), as well as designations for proposed heritage protection such as Architectural Conservation Areas (ACAs) and Protected Structures. There are also numerous archaeological sites listed as Recorded Monuments for protection. • Prepare a written brief of the overall requirements for the house. • Consider the early appointment of a suitably qualified agent to advance the application through the planning process. • Appraise the form of existing buildings before selecting a site to ensure that new development will be compatible with the existing character of the area. • Consider a site where natural features such as trees and hedgerows can help assimilate new development with the surroundings. For new planting, only indigenous species [primarily deciduous] to be used. • All trees and bare rooted shrubs should be planted from early November up to the end of March. • Prepare a contour plan and crosssections of the site illustrating the general shape of the landform. STEP6: CHECKLIST •Whitethorn Crataegus laevigata 10% Blackthorn Prunus spinosa 60% •Holly Ilex aquifolium 5% Hazel Corylus avellana 10% •Guelder Rose Vibernum Opulus •5% Spindle Euonymus europeaus •5% Dog Rose Rosa rugosa 5%. Hedgerows •Common Ash Fraxinus exselsior 20% •European Beech Fagus sylvatica 20% Alder Alnus glutinosa 15% •English Oak Quercus robur 5% • Durmast Oak Quercus petraea 5% Rowan Sorbus aucuparia 15% Hawthorn Crataegus monogyna 10% Larch Larix decidua 5% •Scot’s Pine Pinus sylvestris 5%. Trees

5. Page 25

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   25 • Avoid hilly sites where development may break the skyline when viewed from a distance, or would result in excessive cutting or filling of the local topography. • Avoid elevated and exposed locations such as hilltops and ridgelines which would result in visual obtrusion and increase energy consumption and fuel costs. • Avoid sites that are subject to flooding. Consider the implications of DoEHLG SFRA guidelines. • Ensure that a site will not contribute to ribbon development or other inappropriate development form. • Consider the micro-climate and the benefits of sustainable energy, south facing slopes and orientation to benefit from solar gain, potential frost and mist hollows, existing tree belts to provide shelter, prevailing winds and potential areas of shelter provided by topography. • Consider the proximity of a site to existing facilities, such as schools, shops, community halls, pitch, church, pub. • Ensure that the site is accessible from the public road and can achieve adequate sight lines at the entrance without excessive loss of the existing roadside boundary. Refer to the requirements of NRA ‘Policy Statement on Development Management and Access to National Roads’, May 2006 and Laois County Council road standards. • Consider the availability of existing services infrastructure, including water supply, telephone and electricity. • Undertake a Site Suitability Assessment (Percolation tests) in accordance with the EPA Wastewater Treatment Manuals to determine whether ground conditions are suitable for effluent disposal.

6. Page 26

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   26 Use…..: Avoid……….. : Site Planning • Prepare a detailed analysis of your site showing all existing features whether natural or man-made; • Consider the detailed effects of topography in terms of building form and avoiding excessive cut and fill; • Identify south facing slopes and orientation to benefit from solar gain, and note potential frost and mist hollows, prevailing winds and potential areas of shelter afforded by topography; • Incorporate renewable energy sources; • Consider the proportion of the house in relation to the size of the plot and scale of any existing buildings in the locality; • Avoid overlooking or loss of light/privacy to neighbouring properties; • Ensure that the site has sufficient depth to be able to locate the building back from the road edge; • Consider the means of vehicle access to the site; • Retain front boundary vegetation except where accommodating vehicle access requirements; • Screen the new development into its setting with existing or augmented / new vegetation; • Consider appropriate boundary treatments; • Prepare a landscaping plan showing all existing features to be retained and new planting and hard surfaces. Building Form • A contemporary design that reflects modern lifestyles while being respectful of the past; • A simple design solution; • A wide frontage and narrow depth plan form, with additive elements only where required and suitable; • An external appearance that reflects the internal plan arrangement; • A main elevation that is generally flat-fronted, except for porches, with subtle breaks in the building line used to add interest and to create and define external spaces; • A limited range of building materials and, wherever possible, locally available; • The use of natural materials - stone, timber, slate - in preference to artificial ones; • Limited colours, and neutral in hues; • Consistently pitched roofs, dark tiled and with neat eaves detailing; • Fenestration-windows, doors and chimneys - which do not detract from the main building form; • Extensions or additions that are subservient to the main building form and of similar proportion and style. • An over-scaling of traditional form and altering roof pitch to suit; • A complex design solution; • A cumbersome, weighty and near-square floor plan; • Unusual and elaborate forms, complicated roof shapes, exaggerated and random changes in ridge line; • Imitation styles, such as haciendas, chalets, log cabins and pattern book designs; • Façade architecture and randomly applied external finishes; • Predominant use of artificial materials; • Arbitrary changes in materials; • Over-domineering and bright garish colours, especially in structural elements such as roofs and walls; • Over-sailing roofs and boxed verges; • Irregularly placed or over-large roof lights; • Protruding bay windows and elaborate porches; • Ill-proportioned openings and dormers; • Over-scaled or contrasting additions (garages, conservatories, sun rooms); • External floodlighting; • Non-native tree, hedgerow, shrub species.

Source Laois County Council: Rural Design Guide (County Development Plan 2021–2027, appendix 7) (2021) · 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.