Rural Housing Design Guide (County Development Plan, volume 3)

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   Tipperary County Development Plan 2022 – 2028 Appendix 4 Rural Housing Design Guide 3Volume 3 Shaping Our Future August 2022

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   TIPPERARY COUNTY DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2022 – 2028 VOLUME 3 1 Table of Contents Introduction .................................................................................................................................2 Step 1: Assess your Requirements .............................................................................................3 Step 2: Select the Right Site .......................................................................................................5 Step 3: Plan the Site .................................................................................................................14 Step 4: Design the House .........................................................................................................24 Step 5: Making a Planning Application ......................................................................................35 Appendix 1: Planting and Landscaping .....................................................................................37 Appendix 2: Checklists – before you submit your planning application ......................................40

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   TIPPERARY COUNTY DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2022 – 2028 VOLUME 3 2 Introduction This is the Tipperary County Council Design Manual (Manual) for one-off houses in the open countryside. It provides guidance on planning your new house, the importance and relevance of the site you may choose, and appropriate and sustainable design for one-off houses in rural areas. This Manual should be read in conjunction with the policies and development management standards for rural housing as set out in the Tipperary County Development Plan 2022 - 2028 (the County Development Plan) Section 5.5 and the accompanying Development Management standards set out in Volume 3, and any variation thereof, to assist in the planning, location and design of rural one-off houses. Purpose of the Manual The purpose of this Manual is to aid the planning applicant and designer by: • Identifying the key site planning and building design issues to be considered before applying for planning permission. • Setting out design and layout features appropriate to one-off houses. • Supporting the Planning Policy and Development Management Standards of the County Development Plan. It is a requirement of the Council that new houses proposed to be located in the countryside should be sited in a manner to ensure that they respect the landscape, environment, road traffic safety and their surroundings. An in all cases the Council will expect planning applications for one-off houses to demonstrate how this Manual has been considered when choosing both a site, and a new house design. Key principles of the Council include: • To foster greater consistency in planning decision-making • To inform and inspire applicants, builders, designers and planners. • To help conserve and enhance the landscape of Tipperary. • To support the construction of Near Zero Energy Buildings (NZEB) in Tipperary in compliance with the Building Regulations Part L.

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   TIPPERARY COUNTY DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2022 – 2028 VOLUME 3 3 A step by step approach to the design and planning for a new house is set out below. Figure 1 Sensitive approach to sitting and design in an upland area Step 1: Assess your Requirements It is recommended that persons considering building their own home should consider employing a qualified designer/architect at the start who can certify that the building design and construction is compliant with the Building Regulations (The design and construction of buildings is regulated under the Building Control Acts 1990 to 2014, in order to ensure the safety of people within the built environment https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/95d00-building-standards/), and ensure that the new dwelling will be • Assess your RequirementsStep 1 • Select the Right SiteStep 2 • Plan the SiteStep 3 • Design the HouseStep 4 • Application for Planning PermssionStep 5

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   TIPPERARY COUNTY DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2022 – 2028 VOLUME 3 4 highly energy efficient. The same designer/architect should be qualified and experienced in the planning process, and thus be competent to prepare a planning application for submission to the planning authority. 1.1 Design Brief The following considerations should inform your design and be considered by you at the start. • Site Location and Planning Policy – Why the site? • Proximity to amenities i.e. shops, schools, doctor, hospital etc. • Budget – incorporate cost of certifier, landscaping and entrance, energy technologies and development contributions • Orientation, Energy Efficiency & Solar Gain • Adjoining dwellings and buildings and other uses • Overall Size – Note that Development Contributions are based on floor area • Disabled Access • Type of Heating Systems • Infrastructure and Services – Water, sewer, broadband, gas, bus service etc • Entrance Safety • Landscaping and Planting • Rainwater harvesting and plumbing into house • Storage of waste and recycling facilities • Security - is the site house isolated or vulnerable? 1.2 Building Design Compliance Certificate Since March 2014 it is a legal requirement of the Building Control (Amendment) Regulations 2013, for a new building to have a certificate of compliance. Assigned Certifiers, who can be registered architects, engineers or building surveyors, will inspect building works at key stages during construction. The Assigned Certifier and the builders must both certify that a finished building complies with the requirements of the building regulations. This has created a legal requirement for a suitably qualified designer (a registered Architect, building Surveyor or chartered Engineer) to be involved in the design

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   TIPPERARY COUNTY DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2022 – 2028 VOLUME 3 5 process. The Assigned Certifier must be contracted by the owner/developer. In summary, the new Building Control Amendment Regulations require: • Submission of compliance drawings and documentation to the Council. • The Assigned Certifier to set out and execute an inspection plan; and, • Signing of certificates of compliance by the designer prior to construction and by the Assigned Certifier and the Builder when a building is complete. It is important to note that: • If anyone signs a statutory certificate for a building which subsequently proves to be noncompliant, they can be held legally liable for the consequences; and • Greater onus is now placed on professionals to provide consumers with a more comprehensive service and failure to do so incurs the risk of being censured, suspended or ultimately removed from their professional body. Queries in respect to building design compliance certification should be directed to the Building Control Section of Tipperary County Council or the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government at www.environ.ie Step 2: Select the Right Site This is an important step and a key determinant in whether or not your planning application is successful. In assessing your site, you should consider any specific planning policies of the Plan, noting that polices may differ depending on where your chosen site is located, see Figure 2. In this respect, you may also request a pre-planning meeting with the planning official for your area (free of charge, contact the planning office to make an appointment) to assist in the planning process. Assess potential sites having consideration to: • Planning policy and objectives that may relate to the area (see below). • Landscape character and context. • Views into and out of the area. • Adjoining Settlement Pattern i.e. consider your neighbours. • Adjoining uses, i.e. do not consider a site adjacent to an active farmyard and farmyard activities may not be compatible with a residential dwelling unless you are the farmer of the land.

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   TIPPERARY COUNTY DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2022 – 2028 VOLUME 3 6 • Micro-climate, renewable energy technologies and sustainable materials and finishes. • Flood risk, is there potential for the site to become flooded either from surface water, ground water or nearby river? • Vehicle access requirements/Traffic safety. • Service infrastructure i.e. is there a public water main, electricity, broadband? • Drainage, can you safety dispose of your wastewater and sewage without potentially polluting the environment, such as ground water or surface waterbodies or protected areas? • Future development proposals refer to the Plan to ensure that the site is not located in an area where new infrastructure or development is planned. The siting of a new dwelling needs to be compatible with the general principles set out in the ‘ Sustainable Rural Housing, Guidelines for Planning Authorities’ (April 2005) and any review thereof. 2.1 Designated Areas and Planning Policy Check with the Plan, especially in relation to policies for one-off housing set out in Chapter 5, Section 5.5 Residential Development in the Open Countryside in particular areas including; • Designated Areas that have restrictions on the development of new houses i.e. ‘Areas Under Urban Pressure’, Strategic Transport Routes, ribbon development areas, Primary Amenity Areas etc. • Areas designated for heritage or amenity, such as Natural Heritage Areas (NHSs), Special Protection Areas (SPAs), and Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) • Areas of Archaeological Interest, archaeology policies, Record of Protected Structures and the Record of Monuments and Places. • Sensitive water bodies or abstraction points.

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   TIPPERARY COUNTY DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2022 – 2028 VOLUME 3 7 Figure 2: Rural Area Map – Please refer to Volume 1 Written Statement - Chapter 5 for details

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    TIPPERARY COUNTY DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2022 – 2028 VOLUME 3 8 Economic and Social Need The policies of the County Development Plan (Volume 1, Chapter 5 Housing) will be considered by the planning officer assessing the planning application before any decision is made to refuse or grant planning permission, therefore you must make yourself aware of these. In particular, please note that in ‘Areas under Urban Influence’, your own ‘Social and /or Economic’ need will be a key consideration. If a site falls within, or is located close to any such areas, it may be necessary to take advice from your planning agent and/or the Planning Department before proceeding. The key questions to be asked when looking for a site in all areas are: • Is the site within a Designated Area? • Can the local topography/trees and vegetation etc help absorb the new development into the landscape? • Will the new development intrude on views from public roads or public areas? • Will the new development be in keeping with the existing settlement pattern? • Is significant removal of existing hedgerows required? • Can the proposed site optimise the potential for renewable energy sources? • Can safe access be gained to the proposed site from existing roads? • Is the proposed site in reasonable proximity to everyday needs (e.g. shops, schools, pubs, church, etc)? • Has the site ever become flooded for any reason? • Is the site connected to or in reasonable proximity to essential services (e.g. water, electricity, telephone, broadband)? • Are ground conditions suitable for a sewage treatment system? • Is the site large enough to accommodate the type of development envisaged? • Refer to the Plan to ensure that the site is not located in an area where new infrastructure or development is planned, for example, proposed route corridors. If a potential site does not satisfy most of these essential criteria, then alternative locations should be sought.

Source Tipperary County Council: Rural Housing Design Guide (County Development Plan, volume 3) · 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.