Rural Housing Policy,
Meath has a dispersed settlement pattern which is reflective of Meath’s agrarian history and its proximity to Dublin. There are distinct and regional patterns of development within the rural villages and rural areas of County Meath and these make a positive contribution to the County’s settlement network and rural landscape. Changing a policy which has been in situe for a long period needs to be introduced on a phased basis as this will have a more positive outcome rather than having a complete change of policy in one fell swoop.
In terms of defining rural generated need the Plan does not address people who are an intrinsic to the rural community by having spent substantial parts of their life there. If a person is a resident of Meath for more than 10 years and was born and raised in a rural location and can demonstrate a need for housing then if no affordable sites are available in a node within 10km of their family owned property then they should be allowed to construct housing in a rural location. Persons who have lived a substantial period of their lives in the local rural area (minimum 10 years), who have never owned a rural house and who wish to build their first home close to the original family home should be allowed. Housing is currently badly needed and if people who need homes cannot afford to purchase in a town or village but can afford to build on their own site then these needs to be looked at favourably. We need to recognise the role of the rural countryside as a lived-in landscape and there is a continuing need for housing provision for people to both live and work in Ireland’s countryside. It is important that for those with local connections and that strong local ties are maintained and that the applicant remains an intrinsic part of the local community. Implementation of hugely restricted one off rural housing will have a detrimental effect on every conceivable club, school and football club in the county.
There is a long tradition of people living in rural areas of the County and promotes sustainable rural settlement as the key component of delivering viable rural communities. The provision of one-off houses in rural areas enhances the vibrancy and vitality of the towns or settlements in rural areas. If there were affordable serviced sites within a node, village or town then certainly the number of once off rural housing could be reduced.
Restricting the number of houses erected in rural areas will mean that house prices will increase dramatically and as such further the housing crisis. It is important that local people born and raised in Meath are able to buy houses where they grew up. The restriction of rural one off housing and speculation will drive up land prices and thereby the cost of housing itself.
No information has been provided with regard to the proportion of housing units that are single rural dwellings that have been approved during the last ten years. In some counties where figures have been prepared up to 40% of the housing provided over the last fourteen years was single rural dwellings. What proportion of rural one off housing was constructed in Meath? Without these figures and information it is unsafe to introduce restrictions without having the complete facts available.
Is there an indicative forecast for single rural dwellings in Meath during this plan period? There is indicative figures included in other county development plans as in Cork Draft plan. If we do not know how much housing will be rural or is planned to be rural then this plan is not being specific as to how much housing will be provided in this category. An Objective should be included in the plan: To monitor the trends in rural housing and population during the lifetime of the plan to ascertain if further rural housing policy responses are required during the plan period.
The Plan does not encourage the provision of a mix of house types in towns and villages to provide an alternative to individual housing in the open countryside. Housing in viallages and towns tend to be of an housing estate model rather than the provision of one off houses and this rules out those who wish to develop their own individual home. Individual homes could contribute to the landscape in a village or town rather than estate after estate. Dereliction and vacancy in town and village centres needs to be addressed. There are a large number of vacant premises in the centre of towns and village that could provide an opportunity for those who would like once off housing.
Meath County Council needs to support a vibrant and well populated countryside, recognising the need to strengthen and protect the rural communities of the area by encouraging sustainable and balanced growth in both urban and rural populations, maintain traditional rural settlement patterns in rural areas.