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Planning Issues.

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 26 January 2005

Wednesday, 26 January 2005

Questions (1275, 1276)

Seán Haughey

Question:

1343 Mr. Haughey asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if guidelines will be drawn up to ensure that new one-off rural houses can be reserved for those working in agriculture; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1268/05]

View answer

Written answers

In March 2004, guidelines for planning authorities on sustainable rural housing were published in draft form to give all those interested an opportunity to comment before the guidelines are finalised. I expect to be in a position to issue the guidelines in final statutory form shortly.

It is a central objective of the guidelines to facilitate people who are part of or contribute to rural communities to gain planning permission for their housing proposals, subject to normal planning requirements in matters such as siting, waste water treatment and safe access. The guidelines call for development plans to incorporate examples and suggestions as to the broad categories of circumstances which would indicate that proposals for rural housing development are intended to meet the needs of a person who is part of the rural community. Such examples would include farmers, their sons and daughters and or any persons taking over the ownership and running of farms, as well as people who have lived most of their lives in rural areas and are building their first homes and those in part-time occupations where the predominant occupation is farming or is natural resource related.

The examples given are of an illustrative nature and are not intended to be exhaustive. The guidelines ask each planning authority to make its own assessment, in the context of its development plan, of the scope and extent of rural housing needs to be considered taking into account local conditions and relevant planning issues.

In addition, the guidelines point to the need to attach appropriate conditions to permissions for houses in rural areas in the vicinity of the larger cities and towns, intended for those who are part of the rural community, requiring that such houses be occupied for a specified period by the applicants and/or their families. Applying such a requirement in appropriate cases enables planning authorities to respond positively to applications from such persons in the areas where development pressure is acute, for example, in the vicinity of the larger cities and towns. It is considered reasonable that an applicant getting permission in such an area on the basis of having an identified rural housing need should be asked to comply with such an occupancy condition.

Question No. 1344 answered with QuestionNo. 1302.
Question No. 1345 answered with QuestionNo. 1301.
Question No. 1346 answered with QuestionNo. 1303.
Question No. 1347 answered with QuestionNo. 1302.

Seán Haughey

Question:

1348 Mr. Haughey asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he has considered the new development plans for Wicklow, Kerry and Donegal; if those plans will facilitate an increase in one-off rural houses which may destroy environmental and tourist sensitive areas in these counties; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1273/05]

View answer

The determination of the policies and objectives to be incorporated in any individual development plan is primarily a matter for planning authorities in accordance with the relevant statutory requirements. Under the Planning and Development Act 2000, planning authorities are required to prepare a development plan every six years and to send notice and a copy of the draft development plan to my Department.

My Department issued comments about the draft county development plans for Kerry in April and October 2003 and Wicklow in September 2004. These comments raised a variety of issues, including matters relating to the rural policy framework set out under the national spatial strategy, the draft guidelines on sustainable rural settlement and the need for plans to reflect relevant regional planning guidelines policies. The local authorities were asked to take account of the issues raised in finalising their development plans.

The current Donegal county development plan is in the process of being reviewed and, on foot of a request from the planning authority at the commencement of the review process for submissions/observations, my Department issued comments in October 2004. I do not consider that any of the plans referred to, if properly implemented, will compromise environmental and/or tourist sensitive areas in those counties.

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