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No vision for a rapidly changing Ireland
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No argument from me on this at all, farmers obviously have a need to reside on-site. I would ask (and defer to your expertise based on your modship of the Farming & Forestry forum) if an average farm size of 90 acres indicates that we still have too many small farms that are economically unviable? (tangent I know, apologies but the only stupid questions ime, are those unasked)Buford T. Justice V wrote: »The average farm size in Ireland is 90 acres so every 90 acres, on average, is going to have a house on it. And a second house for the next generation of farmer. It's pretty pointless living 5 miles from the farm and driving back and forth 2 or 3 times a night with cows calving so it's much more time and energy efficient to have 2 houses on the farm.
Would I be right in assuming you'd agree with me that planning permission for such should never have been granted?Those McMansions, as you term them, are generally built and owner by those from outside the area. Indeed, it was a fun game we played while driving around the area and easily spotting those that feel they have to make a 'statement' about their worth. The vast majority of local owner houses would be in the 1,500 to 1,700 sqf range while the recently arrived would be 2,000sqf+ range.
And lets be honest, a lot of them (and the 1,500 - 1,700sqft properties you mentioned) have been built by those raised in rural towns and villages. The same villages that are now wastelands full of unoccupied domestic and mixed-use real estate. I don't think anyone objects to those who make their living from the land building their homes there. A certain level of inefficiently located property is the price of our security of food supply and high quality agricultural output. There's no need, however, for the son or daughter of the local school teacher / garda / shop keeper to be afforded the same opportunity. Nor indeed, for the off-spring of the farmer who have no intention of ever farming that land themselves.
The urban-rural wealth transfer is undeniable if one looks at the figures for govt revenues and expenditure by county.How is it costing more to supply rural dwellers with services? We built, supply and operate our own water system. We supply right-of-way for fairly nominal payments to allow wayleave for water and electricity services to acces urban customers who don't want those services to be provided anywhere near them. Just taking Dublin as an example, how near to the city are the nearest generating plants? How many wind turbines to provide their green energy demands are anywhere near the demand?
Denser populations are simply far cheaper to provide public services to. Larger schools and class sizes result in a lower cost to educate each child, fewer miles between houses make the provision of emergency services more efficient (and effective), homes that are closer together reduce the cost-per-home for utility connections and maintenance.
Great for them! Genuinely love to hear of domestic success stories.A locally owned and based multinational manufacturing company recently advertised for new recruits, 100 over the next 12 months, to cater for demand. Despite being rural based a good percentage of that companys workforce is urban based. Low skilled, labour intensive? LOL, the good percentage of the new workforce, similar to the existing workforce, will be skilled operatives, computer programmers, management etc etc, not in the perceived lower echelons of the workforce.
My point about low-skill, labour intensive industry is that it was the lifeblood of rural towns and villages in decades past (those times we're comparing rural population levels to).
Take Foxford in Mayo where I visited over the Christmas break. Its famous Woolen Mills, which would have employed half the village (and indeed, built many of it's houses) would now operate on a much lower staff (due to automation) and a good percentage of the staff it does have would be working in the gift shop and café. There's no getting those jobs back. Textiles of similar quality can be had for half the price from Asia and the developing world.
The high-value services sector, which we can compete in on global scale (at least for now - education systems in the developing world are catching up and quickly) are never going to locate large scalle operations in rural Ireland. Fund Accounting, Finance and IT all tend to have high turnover and employers won't set up shop without a large pool of local talent. I'm not disparaging the people of rural Ireland here btw - they make up a huge percentage of those working in such industries in our urban centres - it's simply unrealistic to expect to be able to staff such an operation in a location with a population that can be counted in the hundreds or low to mid thousands.
I'm not in favour of subisidised jobs anywhere tbh. Rural TD's keep pushing for the IDA to "do something" about rural depopulation and they keep being told the same thing: "we're doing what we can but Multi-nationals interested in setting up in Ireland want to be based in it's urban centres" (paraphrasing obviously).So it's fine to provide subsidised jobs in urban areas but not rural areas? Riiiight:rolleyes:
My point was a counterto those constant whines about "de gubbermint abandoning rural Ireland" we hear from those Rural TDs whose solution for pretty much every problem is to throw public money at it. MNCs can't and shouldn't be bribed to provide employment in every hamlet in Ireland. It won't work and would be an awful waste of money.
Prioritising the provision of high-speed broadband within the bounds of every town / village with a population over 500? That's the kind of policy I can get behind. Insisting it be rolled out beyond that so Seamus who lives four miles down a boreen off a local road can telecommute to his fund accounting job in Ballsbridge seems more like giving a hand-out to Seamus than a sensible investment of public funds.0 -
Tell me how wrote: »Can you please give a rural location where you have found it is difficult to buy or rent.
Unsurprisingly - Co.Wexford.0 -
The country's ****ed. Knock it and start again.0
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A child from any religious or political background can play rugby. The same cannot be said for GAA. A child who wants to play GAA, rugby and hockey, is still not allowed to do so by the GAA in 2018/19. The GAA club members will make attending training sessions and games for others sports as difficult as possible for the youngster. I thought this nonsense died out years ago but it's still going on.
err, I teach in a small Church of Ireland primary school where the kids play rugby, soccer, basketball, go horse riding, go swimming and love their quad bikes
Oh, and we won Division 5 in the Gaelic Football schools championship for the last 2 years running.
a few of them are even allowed to play club football too0 -
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serviced affordable sites in a proper cluster arrangement in small villages and towns, provided by the county councils - available to decent working people who will buy the site and build their own house, adhering to a particular style
within walking and cycling distance of the school, shop, post office, community centre and sports clubs, and pub
would cut carbon emmissions hugely
better standard of living
better communities0 -
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nice_guy80 wrote: »its basically meeting people from your area and having a social drink with them or enjoying a social event together
I see. That’s vague enough to be applied to anything social tbh0 -
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Moderators, Entertainment Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 14,351 Mod ✭✭✭✭
Join Date:Posts: 14047
Here's a primary cause of your housing crisis in a nutshell that regularly gets overlooked.
Dublin has a huge apartment shortage. Cairn Homes proposing 370 apartments on Griffith Avenue in Marino. Within walking distance of the Malahide Road QBC which will become the Clongriffin-City Centre core bus corridor under BusConnects. In the future, it'll be a short cycle from the Metro station on Mobhi Road for even more connectivity.
The response? https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/junior-minister-opposes-385-home-development-in-north-dublin-1.3750505
Of course, the transport projects above would be closer to construction were the junior Minister in question's cabinet and alliance colleague even remotely interested in his Departmental brief.0 -
We are a reactive society instead of proactive. If infrastructure was managed properly over the past few decades we would be in a strong position to take advantage of Brexit and Dublin could be a major financial/tech centre of Europe. This in turn should lift the rest of the country.
Instead the opportunity is going to the wall because of inept local politicos. A good example is the much needed metro being held up over a fupping GAA pitch.
No ambition and no vision truth be told as the country further strangles itself.0 -
I'd love to the other Ministers and the Taoiseach publicly shame him for objections like this but they won't because they know he's just playing the game, going along with his constituents, submitting their objection as if his job makes their objection more valid.0
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I'm pleased that this thread has generated a degree of good debate.
I would like to add that yes, the decline of rural areas is global - the majority of the world now lives in cities. This major milestone was reached about a decade ago. But a totally moribund rural environment is in nobody's interest.
I am not advocating a return to the poor, backward, insular, predominantly rural, agrarian and judgemental Ireland of the De Valera years. Quite the opposite.
I fully acknowledge the momentous changes Ireland is undergoing. However, compared to say Europe and North America, it is the pace of change and urbanisation in Ireland that is remarkable. Since the turn of the 21st century Ireland has been changing at a very rapid pace and that pace is speeding up significantly.
This country remained very rural for many decades after the developed world - because of very poor planning, local politics and the fact that we were underdeveloped economically and socially until well into the 1990s.
I would advocate developing proper urban counter balances to Dublin. This was first proposed in the 1968 Buchanan Report (duly rejected and shelved) and the 2002 National Spatial Strategy (too watered down itself and ultimately failed) and I firmly believe urban areas are the engines of growth in our economy.
But the country is far too Dublin centric and the problems are there for all to see. A housing crisis, poor quality of life, intolerably long commutes from scattered settlements in a commuter belt of Dublin that is absurdly large for a city of Dublin’s size, poor public transport and a lack of long term, effective, strategic planning. Regional autonomy is practically non existent - compare this to Germany.
Some problems my past research has shown up:
Unless they are particularly picturesque and host a significant tourist attraction or are coastal or are within the commuter belts of Dublin and Cork and are feeding off the economic power of these cities, many rural towns seem to be in serious trouble.
Why?
I think there are a multitude of factors at play here...
1. Atrocious planning. Allowing a free for all of rural one off housing in the environs of these towns over the past 50 years meant that very little or no middle class housing estates were built in these towns and this meant that the only estates to be developed in these towns were local authority ones. This led to the towns getting a “rough” reputation, discouraging private housing development in the towns and leading to more people wanting to live in rural one off housing outside these towns. This led a vicious spiral of decline.
2. Loss of key major employers/ industry. The loss of the sugar beet factories in the 1980s/90s effectively decimated towns like Tuam and Thurles as a huge proportion of these towns’ wealth was dependent on these industries, workers would support local shops and businesses etc (the “multiplier” effect). Also the failed IDA policy in the 1960s to 1980s of trying to lure branch plant assembly factories down to rural towns backfired badly as they simply upped sticks and abandoned the towns they were in after their tax breaks ran out. Again decimating their host towns economically.
Major industry these days wants to be located in major urban areas close to airports, motorways and skilled and diverse young labour force, not in a midlands town with poor roads (and back the 1970s and early 80s for those too young to remember) a 3rd world telephone system.
3. Poor redevelopment/tax incentive strategies. When Ireland’s economic fortunes started to change for the better in the 1990s onwards, it might have seemed that many of these towns in decline might have had a shot at recovery. But at this stage, the horse had bolted by then - emigration in the bleak 80s robbed them of their skilled youth, industry had moved on and would no longer locate in these towns and badly designed shopping centers and ugly “retail parks” were allowed spring up, often outside the town centre itself, cannibalising the retail trade in these towns. In any case, many of these retail ventures failed and lie half vacant.
Also poorly built and very poorly maintained Celtic-tiger era apartment buildings thrown up at the edge of these town centres which in less than 15 years have aged very badly. Indeed many ended up in NAMA and are half-built empty shells as there was no real demand for such accommodation in the first place.
Poor internet/broadband connectivity to some of these towns hasn’t helped either. The decline of the rural pub is also very noticeable in these towns. Rural towns that had 8 or 9 pubs 15 years ago perhaps have 3 or 4 now.
Closure of local services such as Garda stations and post offices has badly affected the small towns. Increased car mobility for those who can travel mean more and more are shopping in bigger urban centers, furthering the decline of local businesses.
All through this, no government has put forward a coherent, sustainable vision for this country and its future spatial pattern of developent and then proceeded to properly implement these plans through policies that take a long term view which benefits the country as a whole. Is it all due to me feinism, short-sightedness, clientalism and parish pump politics? Because IMO these factors have failed Ireland as a whole in having well balanced development of the country.
Also, we must ask ourselves the key question: do we have an economy or do we have a society?
Are we as a people largely to blame for this? After all, we get the politicians we elect...0 -
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JupiterKid wrote:Are we as a people largely to blame for this? After all, we get the politicians we elect...
But do we really, or have our political systems evolved into complex systems that are less democratic, more plutocratic, more authoritarian etc etc?0 -
the opposite is the caseA child from any religious or political background can play rugby. The same cannot be said for GAA. A child who wants to play GAA, rugby and hockey, is still not allowed to do so by the GAA in 2018/19. The GAA club members will make attending training sessions and games for others sports as difficult as possible for the youngster. I thought this nonsense died out years ago but it's still going on.
if a player gets called up to a provincial rugby squad they are told to drop other sports.
state non fee paying schools often give the option to play rugby (if there is rugby clubs locally), and soccer plus gaa, golf, swimming and even cricket.
most fee paying rugby playing schools don't allow GAA to be played0 -
JupiterKid wrote: »I
1. Atrocious planning. Allowing a free for all of rural one off housing in the environs of these towns over the past 50 years meant that very little or no middle class housing estates were built in these towns and this meant that the only estates to be developed in these towns were local authority ones. This led to the towns getting a “rough” reputation, discouraging private housing development in the towns and leading to more people wanting to live in rural one off housing outside these towns. This led a vicious spiral of decline.
Also, we must ask ourselves the key question: do we have an economy or do we have a society?
Are we as a people largely to blame for this? After all, we get the politicians we elect...
THIS... absolutely, who else is to blame
I dont remember the 1968 report :P but I do remember the '02 NSS and how it was watered down and shouted down by local politics despite the planners involved warning that Dublin would grow out of control.
And your point 1 is basically my home town.0 -
JupiterKid wrote: »I would advocate developing proper urban counter balances to Dublin. This was first proposed in the 1968 Buchanan Report (duly rejected and shelved) and the 2002 National Spatial Strategy (too watered down itself and ultimately failed) and I firmly believe urban areas are the engines of growth in our economy.
In your initial post, you kept talking about rural Ireland but it this one, it seems like you're talking about urban development outside of Dublin (and possibly other cities). They're very different things!
Encouraging rural development (which is what we've effectively done for the last 30 years) is a terrible waste of the states resources. Individually people are happy with their big house, big garden and low mortgage repayments but it negatively affects every aspect of life. Why are our roads so bad - we have more roads per person than most EU countries. Why are our rural ambulance response times so poor - people are strung out across the countryside. Why is rural internet provision so poor - people are strung out across the countryside. Why is our rural public transport so poor - people are strung out across the countryside. Why are our carbon emissions so high - people are forced to drive because there's no effective public transport. Why are rural towns dying - shops are doing little trade because, when you're in your car already, it's just as easy to drive to the nearest big down and avoid your local town/village.
People will lambaste me for saying this. They'll scream that farmers have to live in the countryside (some do) and that historically we have always had low population density but all of this is irrelevant. In the past, if you lived in the countryside, you didn't have a car so you socialised, shopped and worked within walking distance or not at all. You didn't drive 30 miles to go shopping.
There should be no debate about whether this has been encouraged, it absolutely has. Planning permission was, for a very long time, given to anyone, anywhere. The rural levy for electricity does not close to the actual delivery cost and, more recently, property tax penalises people who live in urban areas and rewards people who live in the countryside.
If you want to have a hope to revitalising towns and villages, start by encouraging people to actually live in them instead of encouraging people to live everywhere but them.0 -
Wanderer78 wrote: »But do we really, or have our political systems evolved into complex systems that are less democratic, more plutocratic, more authoritarian etc etc?
Are you talking about just here in Ireland or on a more global level?
In Ireland, I think we are close to being as democratic as can reasonably be expected.- Local elections (max 5 years)
- National elections (max 5 years)
- European elections (max 5 years)
- Presidential elections (max 7 years)
- We get to vote on changes to the constitution via referendum
- Such referendum are excellently handled via the release of information from the referendum commission as to just what the facts are
Anyone in Ireland can start local and could get themselves in to a position of significant power and influence within quite a short period, if*, their policies are such that the electorate come on board with them.
Yes, there are quangos, there are state boards, there is sometimes a lack of direct accountability outside of the ballot box, but I believe, for the large part we function in quite a decent manner, even if the end result of the governance still leaves plenty room for debate and critique.
* The if mentioned here is quite significant, many find that there is not widespread appeal for their ideas and so turn to calling Ireland corrupt and failing. See a recent attempt to gain candidacy for the the presidential election as an active example.0 -
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Wanderer78 wrote: »But do we really, or have our political systems evolved into complex systems that are less democratic, more plutocratic, more authoritarian etc etc?
there does appear to be a rising number of fly-by-night politicians recently.
I first noticed this phenomena when Nicolas Sarkosy was 'vowing' to do this and vowing to do that, in the name of upholding EU policy etc.
and a week later he was gone. Unceremoniously vanished, very little in the news about it, that I can remember at least.
Similarly Gordon Brown disappeared very quickly from the public stage. He gave a 5 minute speech outside 10 Downing street finishing with 'Thank you and goodbye'. I haven't seen sight nor light of him since.
Expect Teresa May to do a similar vanishing act.0 -
Deleted User wrote: »there does appear to be a rising number of fly-by-night politicians recently.
I first noticed this phenomena when Nicolas Sarkosy was 'vowing' to do this and vowing to do that, in the name of upholding EU policy etc.
and a week later he was gone. Unceremoniously vanished, very little in the news about it, that I can remember at least.
Similarly Gordon Brown disappeared very quickly from the public stage. He gave a 5 minute speech outside 10 Downing street finishing with 'Thank you and goodbye'. I haven't seen sight nor light of him since.
Expect Teresa May to do a similar vanishing act.
Gordon Brown and Nicolas Sarkozy are fly-by-night politicians? Jesus.0 -
JupiterKid wrote: »Point 1 This country remained very rural for many decades after the developed world - because of very poor planning, local politics and the fact that we were underdeveloped economically and socially until well into the 1990s.
I think there are other reasons why Ireland has remained rural. A very high percentage of the country is highly desirable to live in from a health and aesthetics perspective. Also, it is a small country. I know several living in Clare/Dublin/Limerick who travel to Dublin for work 1 - 2 days a week without it feeling like it's a massive burden to do so.JupiterKid wrote: »Point 2 I would advocate developing proper urban counter balances to Dublin. This was first proposed in the 1968 Buchanan Report (duly rejected and shelved) and the 2002 National Spatial Strategy (too watered down itself and ultimately failed) and I firmly believe urban areas are the engines of growth in our economy.
One possible issue with such a system is that if areas such as, for example, Sligo, Galway, Limerick, Cork, Wexford, Portlaoise, Mullingar, Cavan Town etc were identified as areas where industry was going to be targeted, other towns/cities would feel that they were being abandoned and should have been selected in the first place. Ennis for example would probably feel aggrieved but realistically, its location between limerick and Galway might mean that this is the case. But then, are you accepting that 1 hour + commute to work is acceptable?JupiterKid wrote: »Point 3 But the country is far too Dublin centric and the problems are there for all to see. A housing crisis, poor quality of life, intolerably long commutes from scattered settlements in a commuter belt of Dublin that is absurdly large for a city of Dublin’s size, poor public transport and a lack of long term, effective, strategic planning. Regional autonomy is practically non existent - compare this to Germany.
In the absence of a national implementation such as in Point 2, what has happened is as you say. The flow of resources in to Dublin from a radius covering a large percentage of the country every morning is counterintuitive to promoting efficient sustainable societies, with a reasonable quality of life.
This point should be analysed. If employers were in towns, and left, was it simply because of the absence of tax breaks or was it because there were other issues such as an aging dwindling workforce. The exact root cause needs to be understood because should we convince companies to locate regionally in future, we want them to stay.JupiterKid wrote: »Point 4 2. Loss of key major employers/ industry. The loss of the sugar beet factories in the 1980s/90s effectively decimated towns like Tuam and Thurles as a huge proportion of these towns’ wealth was dependent on these industries, workers would support local shops and businesses etc (the “multiplier” effect). Also the failed IDA policy in the 1960s to 1980s of trying to lure branch plant assembly factories down to rural towns backfired badly as they simply upped sticks and abandoned the towns they were in after their tax breaks ran out. Again decimating their host towns economically.JupiterKid wrote: »Point 5 Major industry these days wants to be located in major urban areas close to airports, motorways and skilled and diverse young labour force, not in a midlands town with poor roads (and back the 1970s and early 80s for those too young to remember) a 3rd world telephone system.
As mentioned above, Ireland is a small country. And one with National airports in Dublin, Knock, Cork and Shannon. It is a bugbear of mine that a 2nd runway is going in to Dublin as busloads of people travel to Dublin from Galway while Knock and Shannon are under utilised. I understand market forces, but I think this is one area where the government should have been stronger to promote routes to the other airports so as to generate habits in using them. Was very frustrating to be working in Shannon and have to get in to a car and drive to Dublin so as to be able to fly to somewhere like Malta.JupiterKid wrote: »Point 6 3. Poor redevelopment/tax incentive strategies. When Ireland’s economic fortunes started to change for the better in the 1990s onwards, it might have seemed that many of these towns in decline might have had a shot at recovery. But at this stage, the horse had bolted by then - emigration in the bleak 80s robbed them of their skilled youth, industry had moved on and would no longer locate in these towns and badly designed shopping centers and ugly “retail parks” were allowed spring up, often outside the town centre itself, cannibalising the retail trade in these towns. In any case, many of these retail ventures failed and lie half vacant.
Limerick was a prime example of this. LArge shopping centres at the Crescent, Childres road and Ennis Road areas and streets of desolate units in the city centre. Demoralising for everyone. Workers, city inhabitants, tourists.
Another frustration of mine. Rendered walls, iron pipework that starts to rust and stain the wall after 2 years. Wood panelling that looks tired and faded after just one winter. Absence of green areas and small playing areas. I've discussed this (briefly) with a friend who works as a planner and he says that the materials used are nothing to do with them. I say briefly because if I try to tolerate the argument they put forward, I get very frustrated.JupiterKid wrote: »Point 7 Also poorly built and very poorly maintained Celtic-tiger era apartment buildings thrown up at the edge of these town centres which in less than 15 years have aged very badly. Indeed many ended up in NAMA and are half-built empty shells as there was no real demand for such accommodation in the first place.JupiterKid wrote: »Point 8 All through this, no government has put forward a coherent, sustainable vision for this country and its future spatial pattern of developent and then proceeded to properly implement these plans through policies that take a long term view which benefits the country as a whole. Is it all due to me feinism, short-sightedness, clientalism and parish pump politics? Because IMO these factors have failed Ireland as a whole in having well balanced development of the country.
That is where the real debate lies. If someone like the Healy-Raes stand up in Dail eireann and say that there needs to be development funding for the Kerry region, they will be accused of playing parish pump politics. But, does the region not need funding? Is that not why they were elected? Is someone living in Dublin West not doing the same thing only it's not flagged as such.JupiterKid wrote: »Point 9 Also, we must ask ourselves the key question: do we have an economy or do we have a society?
Are we as a people largely to blame for this? After all, we get the politicians we elect...
I think part of the problem that we have now is that given the way the % of the population has grown to live and/or work in the Dublin region, they are the dominant voice on the subject, and so they want most of the services to be provided in their area. They can rightly point out that that is where the population is. This can tend to dominate debates such as these where many posters will suggest that all funding should be prioritised for Dublin because that is where the majority of the tax revenue originates.
But, Dublin is not a country. It is the country of Ireland and it is not so big that we need to shut off the lights elsewhere just keep the Dublin operating. I think we need to try to communicate the benefits for all of society if we manage to get to a place where people in cars in Moate and Carlow etc are not just driving towards Dublin to get to work. (ideally they'd be in buses/trains etc but you get the point).0 -
Deleted User wrote: »there does appear to be a rising number of fly-by-night politicians recently.
Similarly Gordon Brown disappeared very quickly from the public stage. He gave a 5 minute speech outside 10 Downing street finishing with 'Thank you and goodbye'. I haven't seen sight nor light of him since.
Expect Teresa May to do a similar vanishing act.
Gordon Brown held the office of either shadow secretary to a key ministerial position or a key ministerial position in the house of Commons between 1989 and 2010.
Is there any chance you are talking about David Cameron? He was leader of the Conservatives for 11 years. Hardly fly by night.
Nicolas Sarkozy first held a national office in 1993 and was in government until 2012.0 -
Spot on.nice_guy80 wrote: »serviced affordable sites in a proper cluster arrangement in small villages and towns, provided by the county councils - available to decent working people who will buy the site and build their own house, adhering to a particular style
within walking and cycling distance of the school, shop, post office, community centre and sports clubs, and pub
would cut carbon emmissions hugely
better standard of living
better communities
One off housing needs to be outright banned, it is inefficient, difficult to service and a blight on the landscape.
Rural Ireland should be planned around small little villages and towns, with one off planning only granted in exceptional circumstances (farmers).0 -
Tell me how wrote: »Gordon Brown held the office of either shadow secretary to a key ministerial position or a key ministerial position in the house of Commons between 1989 and 2010.
Is there any chance you are talking about David Cameron? He was leader of the Conservatives for 11 years. Hardly fly by night.
Nicolas Sarkozy first held a national office in 1993 and was in government until 2012.
sorry... I incorrectly used the term 'fly by night'.
What I mean to to say is that they both disappeared from office fairly quickly. I know they were both long serving politicians, which is what made it strange (imo)0 -
Deleted User wrote: »sorry... I incorrectly used the term 'fly by night'.
What I mean to to say is that they both disappeared from office fairly quickly. I know they were both long serving politicians, which is what made it strange (imo)
that is generally what happens with long serving politicians who reach the highest office and then lose an election. where are bertie, enda et al? Once they have their moment in the sun they either go back to the back benches or retire completely.0 -
Spot on.
One off housing needs to be outright banned, it is inefficient, difficult to service and a blight on the landscape.
Rural Ireland should be planned around small little villages and towns, with one off planning only granted in exceptional circumstances (farmers).
As someone who lives in a one off house 4 miles from a large town I fully agree with this. I like my house and garden but there is no real focal point for a sense of community. Also since we live on a fast but narrow rural road walking and cycling for children is impossible. Totally car bound, meeting friends and activities for kids are all planned in advance.
People imagine living in the countryside has more freedom, the opposite is the case.0 -
AgreedSpot on.
One off housing needs to be outright banned, it is inefficient, difficult to service and a blight on the landscape.
Rural Ireland should be planned around small little villages and towns, with one off planning only granted in exceptional circumstances (farmers).
But planning is hard to get in a lot of counties0 -
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Great news about the church though.0
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