Banbridge Newry & Mourne Plan 2015

Strategic Plan Framework: Countryside and Coast

The character of the countryside throughout the Plan Area, its landscapes, biodiversity and heritage are detailed in the Countryside Assessment Supplement.

Regional Policy Context

The overall aim of the Spatial Development Strategy in the RDS in relation to Rural Northern Ireland is:

'to develop an attractive and prosperous rural area, based on a balanced and integrated approach to the development of town, village and countryside, in order to sustain a strong and vibrant rural community, contributing to the overall well being of the region as a whole.'

The RDS provides a number of Strategic Planning Guidelines (SPGs) and measures which focus on the rural economy within Northern Ireland as follows:

• To maintain a working countryside with a strong mixed use rural economy by (SPG-RNI 1):
  • sustaining the continuing development of a strong agricultural and agri-food sector (RNI 1.1);
  • facilitating the development of rural industries, businesses and enterprises in appropriate locations, and ensuring they are satisfactorily integrated with the settlement or rural landscape (RNI 1.2);
  • sustaining and extending the forestry resources of Northern Ireland (RNI 1.3); and
  • maintaining a viable fishing industry in Northern Ireland (RNI 1.4).
  The RDS recognises the importance of using Green Belts and Countryside Policy Areas (CPAs), and it contains SPGs and measures that set out the need:
• To conserve the natural environment (SPG-ENV 1) by:
  • protecting, enhancing and encouraging appreciation of the Region's landscapes. One element of this is to manage development pressures to protect the setting of settlements and maintain the rural character of the countryside throughout Northern Ireland by designating green belts and countryside policy areas (ENV 1.4).
• To continue to create and sustain an attractive and unique rural environment in the interests of the rural community and the Region as a whole (SPG-RNI 5) by:
• managing the use of rural resources to achieve a more sustainable pattern of development, one element of which is to control development in areas, particularly the main commuter zone around the BMA, where there is pressure for development by means of green belts, to maintain the rural character and tranquillity of the countryside (RNI 5.1).

The RDS highlights the need to protect and manage the Northern Ireland coastline in the following SPGs and measures:

• to protect and manage the Northern Ireland Coastline (SPG-ENV 2)
• to conserve the coast of Northern Ireland (ENV 2.1) by:
• protecting the undeveloped coastline, especially from intense recreational and tourism pressures, assessing and, if necessary, mitigating the environmental impact of essential port and other economic developments;
• seeking to keep open those strips of land or spaces right on the coastline within coastal settlements where the public can walk along the seaside or just enjoy the views out to sea;
• seeking to reconcile development and management pressures with conservation, commercial and leisure use; and
• conserving distinctive coastal habitats, and undertaking environmentally sensitive coastal protection, where environmental impact assessment shows that coastal protection is essential to safeguard infrastructure or highly valued environmental assets.

Draft PPS 14 - Sustainable Development in the Countryside has been prepared by DRD (March 2006). It proposes the introduction of a presumption against development throughout the countryside with the exception of a limited number of types of development outlined in the PPS itself. As a consequence, it also proposes the withdrawal of all existing Green Belt and CPA designations throughout Northern Ireland with certain exceptions. If the proposal to withdraw these designations is subsequently confirmed in the final PPS 14, the Green Belt and CPAs designated in the Plan will become redundant.

This should not, however, affect the Plan Proposals for Special Countryside Policy Areas (SCPAs) and Coastal Policy Area.

Development in the Open Countryside

The development pressure analysis has indicated that much of the open countryside within the Plan Area is under acute pressure from development. This pressure has intensified significantly in recent years. It has reached a point where, the cumulative impact of single dwellings, may cause unbalanced development in the form of excessive growth within the open countryside at the expense of that in villages and small settlements.

The RDS highlights concerns about the erosion of rural character and tranquillity caused by the impact of development in the countryside. It details some of the cumulative impacts of this development including:

• loss of agricultural land and habitats;
• fields being sold off to house townspeople;
• increased traffic on rural roads;
• the risk of pollution from growing numbers of septic tanks;
• the increased visual impact of more structures in the landscape;
• unnecessary extension of infrastructure and services; and
• a weakening of towns and villages.

The Department exercises control over new development in the open countryside in order to meet the objectives of regional planning policy and specifically the strategic objectives of Green Belts and CPAs, as set out in Policy GB/CPA 1 of PSRNI. The Department considers that it is appropriate and necessary to maintain strict planning control in rural areas where development pressure is intense.

Green Belts and CPAs are designated within the context of the RDS, the PSRNI, the Northern Ireland Landscape Character Assessment (NILCA) 2000 and analysis of existing and potential development pressure.

The findings of the development pressure analysis and the justification of the boundaries of Rural Policy Areas are contained in the Countryside Assessment Technical Supplement.

Green Belts

The Spatial Development Strategy in the RDS states that the Belfast Metropolitan Area (BMA) Green Belt will maintain a distinctive rural setting around towns and villages in the wider city region. The RDS, while providing an indication of the approximate extent of this strategic Green Belt, states that its precise delineation is to be considered within the context of the relevant development plans. The Department considers that the BMA Green Belt should encompass the towns of Banbridge, Dromore and Gilford.

The Department considers that it is appropriate and necessary to apply Green Belt designations around the city of Newry and the towns of Warrenpoint, Crossmaglen, Kilkeel, Rathfriland and Newtownhamilton.

Parts of both the Mourne Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and Ring of Gullion AONB are covered by Green Belt.

Green Belts, including the BMA Green Belt, are designated in Volumes 2 and 3 of the Plan.

Countryside Policy Areas

Those parts of both the Mournes AONB and Ring of Gullion AONB that are not covered by Green Belt are designated as CPAs.

All of the open countryside in the remaining Plan Area, (i.e. outside the proposed Green Belts and AONB related CPAs), is also at risk from exceptionally high pressure for development. The Department considers it appropriate and necessary to designate further CPAs to protect these localities from excessive development. CPAs are designated in Volumes 2 and 3 of the Plan.

Special Countryside Policy Areas

PSRNI states at Policy SP 12 that, in some CPAs, a special policy will apply to protect unique landscapes and no development will be acceptable unless, exceptionally, it is required in the wider public interest. These are referred to as Special Countryside Policy Areas (SCPAs)

The Department considers that the existing SCPAs designated under the Newry and Mourne District Rural Area Subject Plan 1986-1999 and the Banbridge District Rural Area Subject Plan 1986-1998, have provided an effective control over development within these sensitive upland areas. It is considered appropriate and necessary to maintain strict planning control in these areas. SCPAs are designated in Volumes 2 and 3 of the Plan.

The Coast

The Plan Area coastline extends for approximately 50 kilometres from the Newry River estuary in the west to Maggy's Leap, at the foot of Slieve Donard, in the east. The city of Newry and the towns of Warrenpoint and Kilkeel, as well as a number of villages and small settlements, are located adjacent to the coast. Almost all of the coastal area is within either the Mourne AONB or the Ring of Gullion AONB.

Sections of the coast are protected by a number of international and national nature conservation designations. These include:

• Carlingford Lough Ramsar;
• Carlingford Lough Special Protected Area (SPA);
• Murlough Special Area of Conservation (SAC);
• Carlingford Lough Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI);
• Mourne Coast Area of Scientific Interest (ASI); and
• South Mourne Coast ASI.

Details of these designations can be found in the Countryside Assessment Supplement.

Coastal Policy Area

The undeveloped coast is generally included within either a Green Belt or CPA. PSRNI states in Policy CO1 that, certain parts of the coast are, for a variety of reasons, of such unique quality that it would be in the public interest to restrict all development.

The Department considers that certain sensitive areas should be designated as Coastal Policy Area to protect their landscape value, nature conservation interest and/or built heritage interest. The Coastal Policy Area is designated in Volume 3 of the Plan.

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