Ministerial guidelines
Sustainable Rural Housing: Guidelines for Planning Authorities
One-off houses in the countryside: rural area types, local housing need, and siting and design.
Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government · April 2005 · 66 pages
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- 25 Planning Guidelines areas such as those on the edge of Dublin and other large cities or rural areas adjoining more medium-sized towns. Having defined rural generated housing needs, the development plan should make very clear that subject to satisfying normal planning considerations relating to siting and design, such as those outlined in section 4 of these guidelines, the planning authority will look favourably upon an applicant’s proposal for an individual house in a rural area where that applicant comes within the development plan definition of need. 3.3 Other Objectives and Policies Planning authorities must ensure that all sections of the development plan that deal with or are of relevance to, rural settlement policies, are cross referenced and not in conflict. Rural housing policies will normally be linked to other sections of the plan dealing with: • The conservation of important landscape character and the natural and cultural heritage in general, • The protection of key natural assets such as surface and ground water resources and aggregate or mineral reserves, and • The efficient ongoing development and safe operation of key transport arteries such as roads, particularly National Primary and National Secondary routes, and the rail network. In all cases, the rural housing section should make clear that the consideration of individual sites will be subject to normal siting and design considerations. These would normally include provisions to the effect that: • Any proposed vehicular access would not endanger public safety by giving rise to a traffic hazard, • That housing in un-serviced areas and any on site wastewater disposal systems are designed, located and maintained in a way which protects water quality, • The siting and design of new dwellings takes account of and integrates appropriately with its physical surroundings and
- 26lanning Guidelines other aspects of the natural and cultural heritage, avoids damage to that heritage, and • The proposed site otherwise accords with the objectives of the development plan in general. 3.3.1 Landscape, Natural and Cultural Features Landscape character assessment can help to inform policies in the development plan on the location and siting of rural housing. Landscape character requires a policy response in terms of the appropriate location and siting of rural housing in a manner that will not detract from those aspects of important landscapes considered valuable. Particular care should be taken to protect those features that contribute to local distinctiveness, including: • The pattern of landscape features (land-cover, habitats, trees); • Historic and archaeological areas and features, • Water bodies (including rivers, lakes, estuaries and coasts), and • Ridges, skylines, topographical features, geological features, and important views and prospects. The key issue in relation to the development plan and the natural and cultural heritage is that relevant aspects of heritage, which are outlined in more detail in section 4, are identified in the plan and its accompanying maps. All areas of natural and cultural heritage importance within the functional area of the planning authority should be recorded. The identification of heritage items such as archaeology, protected structures, inland waterways etc on the development plan maps provides a valuable prompt to applicants and planning authority officials to ensure that the conservation of such items is being fully taken into account in the preparation and assessment of rural housing proposals. The development plan should outline the planning authority’s responsibilities and objectives in relation to the conservation of the natural and cultural heritage. Furthermore the planning authority should also outline the matters which it proposes to take
- 27 Planning Guidelines into account in cases where a rural housing proposal impacts on items, sites or areas of natural or cultural significance. The development plan should also make clear that all developments that have potential implications for cultural and natural heritage are referred to all relevant prescribed bodies for comment. Early in the review of a development plan, planning authorities should liaise with the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government and, at their discretion, with other relevant local or national specialist heritage and conservation interests, with a view to seeking any input which could usefully update the plan’s policies. 3.3.2 Natural Resources The development plan should include or refer to information regarding the location of any particularly vulnerable water resources whether surface waters such as rivers and lakes or ground water, aquifers and the sources of public water supplies. Section 4 contains more information on this issue. The aim in providing such information should be for the development plan to offer clear guidance on the existence of such resources in the first instance and to set out the planning authority’s requirements in relation to the approach to housing development in or adjoining these resources. The foregoing approach is also relevant to other aspects of natural resources such as known locations of aggregate and mineral reserves. The assessment of the appropriateness of the location of new housing development should take the existence of such resources, their strategic long-term value and likelihood of being exploited into account. Further guidance on the matter is contained in the document “Control of Quarries: Consultation Draft of Guidelines for Planning Authorities”6 . 6 Published by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, October 2003.
- 28lanning Guidelines 3.3.3 Siting and Design Design guidelines can be particularly useful in articulating in general terms, best practice in relation to the design and siting of houses in rural areas. At the time of writing, about one-third of rural planning authorities have or refer to design guidelines within their development plans. Where possible, planning authorities who do not have such a design guide should put one in place as soon as practicable and should refer potential applicants to such guidance at as early a stage as possible. This can be achieved through mechanisms such as making introductory information pamphlets available at all public offices in a county or the provision of an advisory service through the planning and architectural services of the local authority. 3.3.4 Transport Key objectives and policies to be included in the development plan should focus on the efficient ongoing development and safe operation of roads, with particular emphasis on the national primary, national secondary and regional road network. Many development plans already contain objectives regarding future road proposals and in certain circumstances, the need to protect the routes of future roads from development. This practice should continue. In addition, in relation to the assessment of proposals on existing roads, policy in relation to development involving access to national roads and development along such roads, is set out in “Development Control Advice and Guidelines” and “Policy and Planning Framework for Roads” issued respectively in 1982 and 1985 by the Department of the Environment. The policy is given practical expression in the Department’s 1982 document which stipulates that “As a general policy, the location of new means of access to the National Primary Roads, or residential, commercial, industrial or other development dependent on such means of access, should not be permitted except in areas where a speed limit of 30-40 m.p.h. applies, or in the case of infilling, in the existing built-up areas.” The document points out that the same considerations also apply to National Secondary Roads.
- 29 Planning Guidelines The objectives and policies of the development plan should make it clear that direct access from future development should not be permitted to national roads outside of the speed limit zones for towns and villages. Development control policy should, in the first instance, seek to channel traffic from new development onto existing local roads and in this way use established access points to gain entry onto national roads. The development plan should make such policies clear in relation to the designated national routes in the planning authority’s functional area.
- 30lanning Guidelines Chapter 4: Rural Housing and Planning Applications 4.1 Planning Application Information Difficulties and delays in the processing of planning applications must be minimised, with a particular emphasis on planning authorities and applicants working together to ensure that all the necessary information and documentation is assembled to support early, comprehensive and proper consideration of all relevant facts. The onus is on planning authorities to ensure that their requirements, in addition to being contained in the development plan, are set out in easy to read and widely-available leaflets and information sheets. Planning authorities should also make such information and the development plan available at all public offices and libraries, at planning clinics and on the internet. Many planning authorities encourage prospective applicants submitting planning applications for houses in rural areas to also voluntarily supply additional information about the background to the application in the context of assessing whether a particular proposal constitutes rural generated development. This practice is to be encouraged. In the context of new Regulations to be made shortly, the Department is considering a standardised planning application form for use by all planning authorities. It is envisaged that a planning application form would comprise a Part A which would be standard for all planning authorities and a Part B under which a planning authority could seek additional, locally relevant, information. The type of additional information referred to above would be suitable for inclusion in Part B. Essentially, the planning authority will need the following broad sets of information to at the time of lodging an application to enable a speedy and informed decision to be made:
- 31 Planning Guidelines For All Areas • Information about how the provision of access with visibility and road safety requirements compliant with the planning authority’s requirements can be provided, • Site suitability assessments and site specific design of any wastewater treatment facilities that may be necessary including assessment of groundwater vulnerability, • Site location and setting showing how the proposed dwelling is broadly consistent with any landscape and design guidelines and any landscape character assessment of the planning authority, and • Information about the measures that have been taken to ensure that the proposed site has been chosen in such a manner as to avoid or minimise any impacts upon the natural and cultural heritage. For Applications in Areas under Significant Urban Influence • Applicants should outline how their proposal is consistent with the rural settlement approach in the development plan and should supply supporting information where appropriate. 4.2 Improving Services to Applicants Success in gaining permission to develop is generally more assured where the applicant, their agent or agents and the planning authority work together from the outset to ensure that the site selected is the best available and that the planning authority’s requirements are clear, easily understood and can been responded to. A good “planning clinic” system is operated by many planning authorities and can be an invaluable communication tool in setting out the planning authority’s requirements to applicants and their agents and in ensuring that planning officials listen and respond to issues raised by applicants. Where such planning clinic arrangements are in place, they should be continued and developed. Planning authorities without a planning clinic system, should, where practicable, endeavour to put one in place.
- 32lanning Guidelines Planning authorities should seek to continue improving their levels of service to applicants. High levels of service will be supported by: • Having an accessible planning clinic service in place backed up by information leaflets and guidelines widely available at the local authority’s offices and over the web, • Responding promptly to requests for pre-planning application consultations in accordance with Section 247 of the Planning and Development Acts, facilitating such requests and assisting applicants in accessing relevant information in preparing a planning application, • Considering as appropriate the use of mechanisms such as site meetings between officials, applicants and their agents to tease out points of detail on sensitive sites, and • In appropriate circumstances, offering advice to applicants where a refusal of planning permission has issued, on matters that the applicants could address to facilitate an alternative proposal. 4.3 Assessing Housing Circumstances In its deliberations on a planning application for a housing proposal in a rural area, particularly those rural areas closest to cities and large towns experiencing substantial pressure for development, balanced assessments will need to be made regarding the circumstances and merits of the application. In this regard, it will be important to have access to all relevant information and where such information is lacking or imperfect, to assemble such information. At all times however, in making such assessments, while it will be necessary to support the spirit of the development plan policies, planning authorities must be sensitive in the treatment of applicants. In particular, planning authorities should recognise that exceptional health circumstances – supported by relevant documentation from a registered medical practitioner and a disability organisation – may require a person to live in a particular environment or close to family support. In such cases, and in the absence of any strong environmental, access or traffic reasons for refusal, a planning
- 33 Planning Guidelines authority should consider granting permission, subject (where appropriate) to conditions regarding occupancy (see paragraph 4.6 below). 4.4 Access National Primary and National Secondary Routes Under Part 4, article 28 (j)(i) of the 2001 Planning and Development Regulations, notification of planning applications which involve a new access or material widening of an access to an existing or planned national road or where the development might give rise to a significant increase in the volume of traffic using a national road, must be sent to the National Roads Authority. The Authority may make submissions or observations on such planning applications in accordance with article 29 of the Regulations. National policy in relation to access to national routes has been outlined previously in section 3.3.4. Non National Roads It is vitally important that new housing in rural areas that is located along non national routes is located in such a manner as to avoid endangering public safety by way of a traffic hazard. In particular, individual local authorities will be aware of the regionally and locally important functions of certain regional roads that traverse their functional areas and the need to carefully consider new housing development proposals affecting such routes with a view to: • Avoiding unnecessary new accesses, for example where access could be provided off a nearby local road, • Ensuring that necessary new entrances are located in such a manner as to provide effective visibility for both users of the entrance and users of the public roads so that opportunities for conflicting movements are avoided, taking account of all relevant considerations such as traffic levels, typical vehicle speeds, plans for realignment,
- 34lanning Guidelines • Avoiding the premature obsolescence of regional roads in particular, through creating excessive levels of individual entrances, and • Securing recent investment in non-national roads such as the substantial strengthening and realignment programme underway under the National Development Plan 2000-2006 by minimising the provision of new entrances onto realigned stretches of regional roads in particular. Planning authorities should consider in their development plans, the need to indicate any regional or county road type routes that act as particularly important transport links as well as locally specific development control requirements that will operate to safeguard the specific functions of such routes in terms of future road design and construction requirements. Adoption of a clustered approach, where a group of new houses are set well back from the road and served by a single shared entrance, can often be an effective mechanism in avoiding excessive development with individual entrances onto heavily trafficked roads. Roadside Boundaries The removal of existing roadside boundaries, except to the extent that this is needed for a new entrance, should be avoided where at all possible except where required for traffic safety purposes. Roadside boundaries, whether hedgerows, sod and stone bank, stone wall or other boundaries, provide important features that are elements of both the landscape and ecology of rural areas. The retention of such boundary treatments assists in absorbing new rural housing into its surrounding and should generally be encouraged. Occasionally, the removal of substantial lengths of roadside boundaries is proposed as part of an element of improving visibility at the junction of a new entrance onto a road. Where an alternative site is available and otherwise suitable, applicants and planning authorities should consider such alternative on a basis that avoids the necessity for widespread boundary removal.
Source Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government: Sustainable Rural Housing: Guidelines for Planning Authorities (April 2005) · 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.