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Northern Ireland Planning Service

Northern Area Plan 2016
Strategic Countryside and Coast: Rathlin Island

Policy COU 9 Rathlin Island
In addition to the normal exceptions of the CPA policies, permission may be granted for single dwellings for permanent residents on sites where there was a traditional homestead and there are significant remaining physical remnants of the original homestead.
Any replacement dwelling that incorporates an ancillary element providing workshop accommodation for self-employment may be acceptable in principle.
Any planning permission for dwellings granted under this policy will be subject to a condition restricting their occupation to permanent residents who can demonstrate a strong island connection.
Rathlin is the only inhabited offshore island in Northern Ireland. The island continues to have a slowly declining permanent population, despite significant recent improvements in infrastructure and ferry connections to the mainland. Substantial development has taken place in Church Bay in the past decade. Unfortunately, this development has mostly provided second homes, rather than strengthening the island community. The Department considers the rigid application and interpretation of the Countryside Policy Area is no longer appropriate on the island, where there is a need to facilitate the permanent community, and discourage a proliferation of second homes. Therefore, single dwellings for permanent island residents will be approved where there was a traditional homestead on a site, and these remains represent significant physical structures.
Rathlin Island is within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, where particular regard needs to be given to the mass, height, scale, design and detailing of new building, to ensure this distinctive character of the island is retained
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