Banbridge / Newry and Mourne Area Plan 2015
Strategic Plan Framework: 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 the Planning Strategy for Rural Northern Ireland (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.
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