Vol. 564 No. 1
103 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government his views on the development of permanent homes in rural Ireland; and if he envisages changes in planning legislation or otherwise to encourage such developments. [8788/03]
Overall Government policy on rural housing is set out in the national spatial strategy. The strategy acknowledges and supports the need for sustainable rural settlement to underpin the vibrancy of rural areas. Having regard to this requirement, the strategy sets out a rural housing settlement framework which has four objectives: to sustain and renew established rural communities in a way that responds to the various spatial, structural and economic changes taking place, while protecting the important assets rural areas possess; to strengthen the established structure of villages and smaller settlements both to support local economies and to accommodate additional population in a way that supports the viability of public transport and local infrastructure and services such as schools and water services; to ensure that key assets in rural areas are protected to support quality of life and economic vitality; and to ensure that rural settle ment policies take account of and are appropriate to the differing local circumstances in different areas.
In seeking to meet these objectives, the NSS draws a distinction between rural generated housing, that is, housing needed within the established rural community by persons working in rural areas or in nearby urban areas, and urban generated housing, that is, housing in rural locations sought by people living and working in urban areas, including second homes. The strategy states that, subject to good planning practice on issues such as site location and design, rural generated housing needs should be accommodated where they arise. In relation to urban generated housing the NSS states that development driven by cities and towns should generally take place in the built up areas involved or by way of carefully planned extension to the built up area. However, for those seeking a rural lifestyle while working in a larger city or town, the strategy points out that smaller towns and villages can cater for this type of housing demand in a sustainable manner.
The strategy indicates that these broad policies need to be further developed to respond to the different circumstances in different types of rural areas, that is, rural areas close to larger urban areas, rural areas with a strong agricultural base, structurally weak rural areas which have suffered population loss and economic decline and certain areas where distinctive settlement patterns have evolved. The broad principles for rural settlement policy set out in the NSS will be developed in more detail in the context of regional planning guidelines and the development plan process. I also intend that my Department will issue more detailed guidelines later this year on rural housing location.
