Background

The area to which the Strategy relates excludes the Belfast Urban Area, the adjoining towns of Carrickfergus and Bangor, and Londonderry, but includes and has a relevance to all the remaining towns, villages and countryside of Northern Ireland. Approximately 950,000 people or 60% of the region's population live in the area defined as rural Northern Ireland for the purpose of the Strategy. It is estimated over 350,000 or 22% live in the open countryside.

Community

Demographic change is a fundamental element for public policy and decision making. Changes in population and households, in terms of numbers and structure, will affect the demand for employment, the need for housing and the provision of services and utilities.

Northern Ireland has the youngest population of any region in the United Kingdom, with the largest proportion of children and the lowest proportion of pensioners. The birth rate is significantly higher than other regions and equivalent to the average UK rate in the 1960's. Natural increase, i.e. the number of births in excess of deaths, remains substantially higher in the west of the Province than in the east and the migration pattern shows that the population has continued to gravitate, albeit at a reduced rate, in a generally easterly direction.

The Districts west of the River Bann recorded a net outflow of people between 1971 and 1991, those Districts fringing the Bann were approximately in balance during the same period and those Districts ringing Belfast recorded a gain in population.
With the general reduction in migration and the continued high birth rate, it is assumed that the proportion of Northern Ireland's population living in the more rural Districts will continue to grow. This decentralisation of urban population is a trend which Northern Ireland shares with the rest of the United Kingdom and Europe. At the same time if the urban regeneration strategy for Belfast is successful, it is expected that the population of the Belfast Urban Area might stabilise at around the 500,000 mark.

Population and household change do not necessarily correspond because of variations in family size throughout Northern Ireland. Viewed over the long term, average family size has declined in Northern Ireland as throughout the rest of Europe, although it has
been larger than in Great Britain for many decades. In every District, with the one exception of Belfast, the number of households has not only increased since 1971 but has done so at a rate greater than the growth in population. The increase in the number of households has tended to be greatest in those Districts within about 20 miles of Belfast, sometimes termed the Greater Belfast Area.

The community's housing needs are essentially a function of population change, changes in household size, and fitness of the housing stock. It is expected that average household size will continue to fall, requiring a larger number of dwelling units to accommodate a similar population. The fall will be most significant in western Districts where existing household size is generally higher.

It has been estimated that some 21,500 rural dwellings are unfit, representing 17% of the rural housing stock or twice as many in total as those in cities or large towns. The Northern Ireland Housing Executive has been examining ways to improve housing conditions, assess housing need and increase the element of choice to rural dwellers. The need for low-cost home ownership options is regarded  as an important housing requirement of the rural community.

The Housing Executive has responded, in its policy document "The Way Ahead", with a variety of housing initiatives. A series of pilot schemes in small rural settlements - the "Crossroads" initiative - are of particular planning relevance. These schemes are based on an assessment of demand which is carried out in liaison with community groups, local public and other representatives. The assessment includes a special needs dimension and the prospects for small scale sheltered housing provision is being investigated at a number of villages.

In order to provide for rural consolidation and regeneration, a particular need has been identified to retain a balanced housing stock in villages. An adequate proportion of family accommodation must be maintained to provide for community stability and potential growth.

The response to dispersed and isolated rural dwelling stock is generally to upgrade this accommodation.

Economy

The rural economy is an integral part of the Northern Ireland economy and has links with those of Great Britain, the Republic of Ireland and the European Community as a whole. The economy continues to undergo structural change, with employment declining in many of the older traditional industries such as agriculture and engineering and some growth occurring in the service and commercial sectors. Overall there is a persistent high level of unemployment.

Much of the region's manufacturing base is concentrated in the Belfast Urban Area and the other major urban centres. Small towns often depend upon the fortunes of a limited number of firms and the closure of a particular company can have a serious impact on the local economy.

Fortunately those sectors of the economy which have tended to show an increase in employment are not tied to the major centres of population and opportunity exists for job creation to be more dispersed throughout the region.

Twenty years ago there were 77,000 people working on farms in Northern Ireland. Today the figure is around 57,000 and includes only 22,000 full- time farmers. The trend towards fewer farm jobs is evident throughout the developed world. In the first twenty-five years of the European Community, agricultural employment in the original six countries declined from over 15 million to under 6 million people. During the same period agricultural output within the community increased dramatically and now overproduction is a problem.

There is an increasing interest in farm diversification in Northern Ireland. A number of support systems are in operation to broaden the farm economy. There is also support for traditional farming practices within the Environmentally Sensitive Areas designated by the Department of Agriculture as a means of protecting and improving the environment.

In 1988 the European Community adapted its structural funds, giving high priority to disadvantaged regions such as Northern Ireland. An initiative was launched to help local community groups to put together plans for integrated rural development in their areas.

Many rural community groups have been established in Northern Ireland; some in socially and economically disadvantaged areas. In 1989 the Government set up an inter-Departmental committee in Northern Ireland to advise on ways to tackle the problems of deprived rural areas. An independent advisory body, the Rural Development Council, was established to help local groups to develop self sustaining activities in such areas. New structures were introduced by the Department of Agriculture to deliver a co-ordinated response to the regeneration plans of local communities.

Settlements

Northern Ireland has a characteristic pattern of many small settlements scattered throughout its countryside. The towns and villages act as service centres for those people living in the rural hinterland and as focal points for community activity. These settlements differ in historical development, social and economic function and physical form. Some of these have increasingly become commuter settlements for Belfast and other larger towns. In a number of cases the scale and form of new development is threatening the character of the settlement. Other settlements have suffered decline with little investment, leading to physical decay and dereliction.

In response, there have been a number of approaches to regeneration in recent years including action by community groups and District Councils; support from the International Fund for Ireland; and projects by the Department of the Environment in certain towns. There have been schemes for comprehensive development, pedestrianisation, environmental improvement and enhancement of conservation areas.

Environment

Northern Ireland has a wide variety of landscapes; upland and mountain; drumlin and valley; lakes, rivers and coast. These landscapes are an important economic and environmental resource.  The most important areas of scenic quality have been designated as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Most of the countryside has been farmed over many generations and its present appearance owes much to human management. Some activities however, and some forms of development, are detrimental to the maintenance of landscape amenity.

For example, Northern Ireland is now one of the least wooded parts of Europe. Its tree cover has been reduced and hedgerows removed. However more broad-leafed trees are now being planted as a result of various environmental initiatives.

Northern Ireland has a rich natural heritage with a wealth of wildlife habitats, including some of international importance. An important part of our nature conservation heritage is being safeguarded by a network of site designations, such as Areas of Special Scientific Interest and National Nature Reserves. There are a number of threats to nature conservation including the adverse effects arising from development and other activities. For example, there is concern about the continued loss of peatland, an important natural habitat in Northern Ireland.

The modern landscape contains many significant man-made features which are evidence of the development of our society. Archaeological sites and monuments, traditional buildings, areas and buildings of architectural and historic interest are part of our heritage and culture. The stock of traditional buildings is being depleted by abandonment, replacement or dereliction. Other features are at risk from insensitive alteration or unsympathetic change.

Most forms of development have the potential to give rise to pollution and to threaten the quality of the environment or human health. There are local problems of air and water quality. Some of these problems are aggravated by the build up of development in particular areas, contributing for example to the potential for pollution of rivers and lakes.

Following the introduction of the Department's rural planning policy in 1978, there was a significant increase in the numbers of applications for single dwellings in the countryside and a consequential increase in the number of planning permissions (up by over 100%). It is estimated that over 25,000 dwellings have been built in the countryside in the last ten years. This is a quarter of all houses built in Northern Ireland in that period. In many parts of the countryside, particularly those close to settlements, there is a buoyant market in building sites and existing dwellings.

The pressures for development have been most intense in the country areas surrounding cities and towns. There is a noticeable build-up of housing along certain country roads convenient to towns and villages, gradually eroding the rural character of the area. In some parts of the region, local pockets of suburban development have emerged to dominate the rural scene. The pressures are strongest in numerical terms close to the Belfast Urban Area. There has been less development in other parts of the countryside situated away from towns and containing poor farmland.

Design

In the past, most buildings in the countryside were modest in scale, respected physical site constraints and used local building materials in simple characteristic ways. Nowadays, buildings tend to be larger and their impact on the landscape is greater. Replacement dwellings are frequently larger than the original structure and have a greater visual impact. Other types of development, such as certain agricultural buildings, do not require express planning permission, though their effect on the landscape can be considerable.

Modern dwellings have generally been built on the road frontage in typical suburban forms, alien to their rural setting. When dwellings are placed side by side they form ribbon development which is detrimental to the amenity of the countryside. In some instances, new developments have been accompanied by road widening and the provision of footpaths and street lighting, further affecting the rural character of the countryside.

Prominent dwellings have been imposed on the landscape through the power of modern machinery to reshape the landform. The architectural style, the materials and finishes and the associated site works are often inappropriate and overly dominant. Landscaping may be absent or unsuitable.

To try to maintain the distinct character of the open countryside, the Department has been actively encouraging high quality design by the application of its location, siting and design standards introduced in 1987. These standards are revised and replaced by this Strategy.
Design guides have been published for the Mourne and the Antrim Coast and Glens Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and will continue to be applied.

The Planning System

The complex social, economic and environmental trends described earlier provide the context within which planning in Northern Ireland operates. It is necessary to distinguish those matters which planning can influence from those which are outside its control. Planning policies cannot by themselves guarantee prosperity, reverse population movements or ensure that the environment is unharmed. They can, however, influence the nature of future development in a creative and beneficial way.

Planning is designed to regulate the development and use of land in the interest of the whole community. Its central concerns are to determine what kinds of development are appropriate, how much is desirable, where it should best be located and what it looks like.

The Department's planning responsibilities include the preparation of Development Plans, consisting of maps and written statements setting out proposals for the development and use of land in the area to which the Plan relates. The Department also publishes Development Control Advice Notes setting out general principles and criteria relating to specific categories of development.

Most development requires planning permission. When dealing with planning applications, the Department takes into account Government policy, the provisions of the development plan, published policy and practice and any other relevant planning considerations. Some applications require to be accompanied by additional information to ensure that their possible effects on the environment are properly taken into account.