BUILDINGS IN THE COUNTRYSIDE
Planning permission will be granted
for the erection of a building in the countryside which is:
- in a locality which has the
capacity to absorb another building, without adverse impact on
visual amenity;
- on a site which can be visually
integrated into the landscape; and
- of an appropriate design for
the locality;
- and provided it meets other
planning criteria and policy requirements.
Much of the character and quality of the
countryside in Northern Ireland stems from the presence of a wide
range of traditional buildings of local styles and largely local
materials. Traditional buildings evolved in response to their
setting and their function in the countryside. New buildings should
respect that long established link and not attempt, through their
siting and design to impose alien or urban standards.
A new building, particularly a dwelling, is a permanent and obvious
feature in the landscape and its development requires forethought.
In practice too many bungalows and houses have been imposed on the
landscape in suburban forms and in a wide variety of styles. Many of
these bungalows and houses have been built in the last fifteen
years.
Society cannot compromise on the quality of development in the
countryside. Developers must acknowledge the range of circumstances
which exist and the differing capacity of various landscapes to
absorb development when considering the design of new buildings. The
capacity of different areas depends largely upon the land form,
vegetation and the existing pattern of settlement.
Prominence
In practice, the location of a new development frequently determines
its prominence and the degree of visual impact it will have on the
landscape. In assessing the potential impact of a development,
particular regard will be had to the quality and nature of the
landscape in the locality and at the site. This will require
analysis of the capacity of the landscape to absorb the development
and the extent to which the development of the site will be visible
or prominent from other parts of the countryside, especially from
the public road system and from areas of general public access and
assembly.
A new building in the countryside will be acceptable if, when viewed
from these surrounding vantage points, it meets all of the following
criteria:
- it blends sympathetically with
landform;
- it uses existing trees, buildings,
slopes or other natural features to provide a backdrop;
- it uses an identifiable site with
long established boundaries, which separate the site naturally from
the surrounding ground; and
- it does not spoil any scenic
aspect or detract from the visual appearance of the countryside.
Alternatively a new building will
not be acceptable if, when viewed from surrounding vantage points:
- it occupies a prominent,
skyline or, top of slope/ ridge location; or
- the site lacks existing long
established boundaries or is unable to provide a suitable degree
of enclosure for the building in the countryside.
In flat landscapes or exposed hill
areas, where some degree of prominence may be unavoidable, careful
siting using existing natural or man-made features can still ensure
a new building does not appear to be out of place or unduly
conspicuous.
Siting
If a site is unduly prominent, the task of placing a building on it
which does not look out of place is made extremely difficult. It is
the siting of the building that has the most impact. Even good
design cannot always redeem the damage done by inappropriate siting.
Development will be required to respect the traditional pattern of
settlement in the countryside, that is the disposition and visual
appearance of land and buildings in the general locality of the
proposed development.
Each development proposal will be assessed and considered acceptable
if it is positioned sensitively along with a group of buildings such
as a farm complex;
- it adopts the spacing of a
dispersed pattern of settlement and has integrated sensitively
with the existing land forms so as to blend unobtrusively with
its surroundings, and;
- it avoids contributing to a
build up of development in any particular locality, so as to
cause a change in the rural character of that area.
Houses close to a public road may
be a traditional form of settlement pattern in some localities.
However these buildings were invariably small in size, of modest
design, constructed of simple traditional materials, positioned at
right-angles or parallel to the public road and had little or no
formal garden. Building in this tradition will require these
features to be incorporated into the design proposals.
The large rectangular plot cut out of the frontage of a roadside
field is unlikely to be acceptable, even if it does have hedges
defining some of its boundaries. Similarly suburban house types are
unlikely to be acceptable on frontage sites. A site set back
some distance from the road, along a farm lane or behind the
immediate roadside field, might be more acceptable. However,
set-back is of little use if the area between the house and the road
is developed as a large and very prominent garden area. Therefore,
in some circumstances, it may be necessary to control the size and
location of the curtilage by condition.
New developments often create a much greater impact on the landscape
than the use of existing buildings and sites, as well as ignoring
the potential for using mature sites and preserving and developing
Ulster's rich heritage of traditional buildings. There are many
instances of rundown, dilapidated and unoccupied traditional
buildings in the countryside. Some are structurally sound and
largely intact and could be renovated to provide accommodation with
modern standards of amenity and fittings. Most of these buildings
occupy mature sites which meet the environmental standards required
for the erection of a new house.
Landscaping
Landscaping, garden areas and the design and type of site boundaries
are all important visual elements in the countryside and can add
significantly to the setting and integration of a building.
New buildings should be sited to take advantage of natural or
previously planted features which could provide protection and
integration. It will be necessary for all applications to include
details of proposals for site works and, where appropriate,
proposals for landscaping to integrate the proposed development into
the surrounding landscape - see policy
DES10.
Where trees exist they should be retained and opportunities for new
planting with native or other species characteristic of the area
should be sought. New tree planting for integration will be
considered in addition to existing vegetation, however, new planting
alone will rarely be sufficient. An unacceptable site can not be
successfully integrated into the open countryside by the use of
landscaping.
The potential loss of landscape features such as trees, hedgerows or
walls or archaeological sites and monuments may be a reason for the
refusal of a planning application. Where valued landscapes are
threatened by activities that are otherwise permitted by the General
Development Order, consideration will be given to the use of Article
4 directions to remove permitted development rights.
Access
Access should be taken from existing lanes, where available. Where
an access road and services, such as electricity and telephone
lines, are required, they should be run unobtrusively alongside
existing hedgerows or wall lines. Access roads and driveways should
respect site contours and cross them gently, thus integrating the
dwelling with its entrance and site. Sweeping driveways which create
a suburban emphasis should be avoided.
While adequate visibility at the road access must be provided,
access roads surfaced in tar macadam and with concrete kerbing can
look out of place in the countryside and less formal solutions
should be sought. The traditional field pattern should be preserved
arid roadside and field boundary hedges and stone walls retained or
reinstated following any access works. It may be necessary to
control retention or reinstatement of boundaries, hedges and walls
by condition, especially in AONBs.
Design
The form and proportions of a new building are key elements in the
design and determine the building's visual impact on the landscape.
If form and proportion are wrong, then little can be done with any
other features to mitigate the impact of a poor design.
The most successful rural designs are those which use the simple
shapes and forms of traditional buildings. For example the
traditional house has an elongated rectangular plan with wall and
door openings on the front and rear walls. The house plan has
limited depth and if extended it is usually linearly or with the
addition of another storey. Where a return is provided it is
normally to the rear with only a porch on the front elevation. The
roof is either gable or hipped depending upon the locality and
chimneys are expressed along the ridge line.
Some buildings were altered over time and they may show the
influence of more formal architecture. Indeed there are many rural
houses of a formal design which could act as appropriate models for
modem houses in the countryside.
The acceptability of the silhouette, in relation to the natural
contours and its relationship with any existing buildings, will
frequently be the yardstick against which the suitability of the
siting is judged. Conditions will not normally be imposed regulating
the number of storeys contained in a new building, although the
height of a new building may be restricted and the pitch of the roof
lowered, if justified by considerations of scale or form which would
make the building dominant or incongruous in the local landscape.
Unequal pitched roofs reflect the traits of suburban rather than
rural architecture and will not be acceptable. Similarly, buildings
where the roof is designed to span the length, rather than the width
of the structure, will normally be unacceptable.
A good relationship of solid wall to openings, such as windows and
doors, is extremely important in a rural setting. Windows are
traditionally small and vertical in proportion. New houses,
particularly bungalows, favour larger areas of glass usually with a
horizontal emphasis out of keeping with traditional design.
Unusually large horizontal windows on elevations facing roads or
footpaths are not acceptable and should be avoided. Picture
windows and patio doors are more effectively located on the secluded
elevations where shelter and personal privacy can be guaranteed,
provided the overall design and orientation are acceptable.
Relative simplicity of design and discretion in the use of
materials, texture and colour will greatly enhance the appearance of
a building. The use of non-traditional materials such as brick,
concrete and random stone-cladding tends to introduce too much
diversity of colour and texture. Combinations of materials on walls,
the use of feature panels and excessive ornament should be avoided. |