Rural Design Guidelines

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   Westmeath Rural Design Guidelines Part 3 Designing for the Future 3.1 Design with the Landscape 3.2 Design with the Site 3.3 Designing the Building Form 3.4 Design in Detail 3.5 Designing the Frontage

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   Westmeath Rural Design Guidelines 3 Designing for the Future 3.1 Design with the Landscape 1 Northern Hills and Lakes An area which incorporates the Northern Hills and includes the major lakes of Derravaragh, Lough Lene and the southern edges of Lough Sheelin. Guidelines • Identify the Landscape Character for the area in which your site is located • Find the right zone for building, not too high, to avoid exposure and obtrusiveness; not too close to poorly drained land • In High Amenity Areas, strict control of development will apply Too high: Exposed to wind; buildings are conspicuous at this height Preferred building zone Buildings are contained within the landscape Lower extent of possible areas for building in preferred zone Poorly drained land Liable to frost and flooding Not suitable for building 28

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   Westmeath Rural Design Guidelines Guidelines * Observe the typical patterns of location relative to roads, valleys and uplands, and select drier, more sheltered zones * Use the topography carefully to obtain natural shelter; avoid North facing slopes and elevated areas exposed to prevailing winds * Ideally, locate close to existing settlements: scattered housing is very conspicuous in upland areas Above, farm in upland setting seeks out the more sheltered area between hills Below, a location close to existing settlement recognises existing building patterns and helps to avoid scattered housing in the country side Traditional farm house located in the zone between river and upland area 29

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   Westmeath Rural Design Guidelines 2 Lakeside Areas These areas are generally designated as High Amenity or Natural Heritage Areas. They include the River Shannon corridor as well as the lakes. Guidelines * Lake zones are regarded as High Amenity and all development, particularly housing, is strictly controlled New dwellings in proximity to the lake will be discouraged, to protect the established character of the lakeside. Margins should be left undisturbed - beautiful yet vulnerable habitat must remain unspoilt. 30

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   Westmeath Rural Design Guidelines 3 Undulating Landscapes Guidelines * Find those places where the building will be held in the landscape. These are - gentle slopes, shelves, indentations, folds and shelter provided by hedgerows and trees * Use more native hedgerows and tree planting to integrate building with landscape * Choose a site which is adjacent to, and could become part of an existing cluster Finding places where building is held in the landscape Traditional farm house with mature trees and hedgerows which integrate building with landscape 31

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   Westmeath Rural Design Guidelines These examples show how the scale of a building can be modified by articulating the form and thereby reducing the apparent bulk. In the traditional example below, a modest farmhouse has grown incrementally, stepping down with a series of volumes which keeps the scale small. The example above, is a recently built house in open upland landscape which uses the opportunity of a small level area, to fit a new building into the landscape. The simple articulation of the form, dividing the living area from the sleeping area generates a small building with presence in the landscape, attractive and modern whilst sensitive to its location 32

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   Westmeath Rural Design Guidelines 4 Low-lying Areas and predominantly flat pasture land Guidelines Use * Screening, for example enclosing walls * Shelter planting, such as native species tree stands and hedgerows * Possibly earth banking, to avoid intrusive and conspicuous development Below, typical problem associated with low-lying areas... Large dormer bungalow, above, with projecting bays and too many dormers, which obscure the roof form. No natural screening, with a poor boundary It is easy for a house like the one above, to look conspicuous in a landscape which is predominantly flat. In fact, this house occupies a small mound, which emphasises its prominence. This example would benefit from a carefully considered landscape plan to arrive at an integrated building and landscape proposal. Alternative scheme shows same floor area with a simpler form, easier to integrate into the landscape with an existing hedgerow which softens the impact of the building. The building is located so that existing trees provide shelter. Good entrance. Glazed areas located to take advantage of the sun's path Traditional house, below, shows screen wall and mature hedgerow which achieve containment in the landscape. The impact of strategic planting initially is seen as the hedgerow now screens the building, and the entrance becomes a short interval in the continuous hedgerow 33

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   Westmeath Rural Design Guidelines 5 Bogland Guidelines * With a generally high water table, bogland areas are rarely suitable for building * Avoid creating a platform raised above ground level * Reduce the impact of long term visibility by grouping tree and hedge planting around the house for shelter 6 Canal Corridors Guidelines * Allow the canal corridor to remain in its undisturbed state: Maintain a zone of 500m either side of the canal where building is strictly controlled to avoid adverse impact of new building. Refer to Heritage Council Waterways Study "Waterways Corridor Study 2004" Royal Canal and basin in a landscape of high quality between Mullingar and Ballinacargy Tree planting screens farm buildings in bogland area 34

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   Westmeath Rural Design Guidelines 7 Cultural Landscapes Guidelines * A cultural landscape needs to be researched, understood and interpreted at a localised level, taking the following into account; archaeological significance, agricultural land patterns and practices, building tradition, historical significance, social and community identity, as well as landscape character * Proposals for new building will need to demonstrate their design sensitivity to the local cultural landscape * It is unlikely that permission will be given for proposals which are in the surrounding area of an important site such as the valley and Priory at Fore 8 Main Road Corridors Guidelines * Access onto national and regional roads is unlikely to be approved. Development on national and regional roads is more exposed to through traffic, more visible, less safe and should be avoided * Adjacent side roads should be used for access * Existing accesses should be shared where possible Houses adjacent to the main roads can be very visible. This house will benefit from planting to screen it from the road Ancient church in an undulating landscape above Lough Derravaragh, a cultural landscape changing in this instance due to afforestation 35

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    Westmeath Rural Design Guidelines 3.2 Design with the Site Use the natural qualities of the site Guidelines Build gently into the Landscape to create shelter and a sense of place: * Look for a naturally-occurring shelf, and use the folds in the landscape * Build below the skyline in undulating and hilly areas * Choose the gentlest part of the slope to minimise earth moving, and avoid making permanent scars in the landscape * Protect the house from the full force of the wind, especially the prevailing wind, by using the existing characteristics of the site * Use areas already protected by trees, hedges and walls Build, Shape and Plant to create further shelter on the site: * Shape and orientate the buildings to guide the wind over, around and away * Use shelter planting as well: it will help to soften the form of the building in the landscape as well as helping to create shelter * Shape the land around the building so that it becomes part of the landscape in which it is located * Use enclosing hedges and walls to create, define and shelter gardens and courtyards * Use built forms: dwelling and outbuildings, to shelter spaces from wind Above, a poor solution for the site; suburban, not rural, could be anywhere. Bulky form is raised on a platform of fill. Asphalt drive. Hedges replaced with ornamental trees, ignoring surrounding vegetation. Illustrations, opposite, of the site on the left show a difficult (notional) site in open upland landscape, with SW prevailing winds at rear of house coming down from the top of the hillside, steep contours and high visibility. Two different types of building design show that considered design applying the guidelines can lead to a better solution Above, a contemporary interpretation of a local traditional house. It deals successfully with the slope. It shelters the house from prevailing winds at rear, and maximises sunlight potential. Hedgerows are maintained: cars are concealed behind planting. 36

Source Westmeath County Council: Rural Design Guidelines · 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.