Architecture: Rural Housing and Decentralisation

There are occasions when changes in public opinion can have far-reaching effects on society as a whole.

Two recent issues of considerable public importance — decentralisation and rural housing — have caused significant divergences of opinion. The prospect of arriving at a consensus view appears to be a distant aspiration.

Decentralisation
The RIAI, IEI and IPI all strongly support the concept of decentralisation. It is very sensible, for reasons of balanced regional development and relief of congestion, to locate parts of organisations that do not need to be located in the capital in appropriate regional centres. The professional bodies are concerned, however, at some of the possible implications of the particular decentralisation programme announced by the Government as part of the December 2003 budget.

The proposal will have serious implications for the Government’s National
Spatial Strategy (NSS). While decentralisation offers an excellent opportunity to begin the implementation of the NSS, it is questionable whether the decision to disperse staff to the 53 separate locations selected is compatible with the Strategy.

The NSS is a 20-year planning framework for the whole country. It aims to
achieve a better balance of social, economic and physical development between regions. The prime moves in achieving this balanced development are to be the eight designated Gateways outside Dublin: Cork, Limerick/Shannon, Galway, Waterford, Dundalk, Sligo, Letterkenny/Derry and Athlone/Tullamore/Mullingar.

These gateways offer the most immediate prospects of developing as engines of growth. The fact that only one gateway (Mullingar) has been chosen as a
headquarters location sends a confusing message to all parties with an interest in implementing the NSS.

Rather than signal a clear and coherent policy in relation to the implementation of the NSS, the proposed plan has the potential to ignite competition between every town in the country for investment and development with the Government’s own designated gateways and hubs.

It is the view of the professional bodies that the proposals need to be
modified if they are not to adversely affect sustainable economic and social
progress. Overall it is our view that there should be agreed mechanisms to ensure the quality of the delivered project including issues such as sustainability.

Rural Housing
The recently published Sustainable Rural Housing Draft Guidelines raises a
number of issues for RIAI members.

The RIAI supports rural housing development to meet the needs of rural
communities. We also recognise that a balance is needed between a need for
rural development and revitalisation and the need to ensure a sustainable
pattern of development and protection of the environment, as well as
reinforcing existing towns and villages. The publication of the guidelines is to be welcomed as the focus can shift to providing balanced and high quality
development.

In summary, the new guidelines provide that:

• People who are part of and contribute to the rural community will get
  planning permission in all rural areas, including those under strong urban based pressures, subject to meeting normal requirements in relation to
  matters such as road safety and proper disposal of water.
• Anyone wishing to build a house in rural areas suffering persistent and
  substantial population decline will be accommodated, subject to good
  planning practice in fitting and design.

The RIAI is concerned that this new policy will result in a ‘laissez faire’
planning regime in relation to rural housing, which will exacerbate the growing
problem of sprawl and have a negative effect on the rural landscape.
The guidelines emphasise the need for high standards of design in rural
housing — an area where there is a long way to go in achieving such standards but where the RIAI intends to show example and leadership.

On a comparative basis, Ireland, prior to the publication of the new
guidelines, was considered to have a relatively liberal planning regime in relation to rural housing, comparable only to that found in Southern Italy or Spain. The new guidelines have the potential to be a malign influence environmentally.

So what is to be the response of the RIAI and the built environment
professions to these government policy initiatives? If decentralisation is to occur, even in the form proposed, then the professions should encourage the concept of clusters of functions in towns and cities and polycentric urban development, the concept of a modern urban network as a network of cities, towns and villages.

The polycentric concept recognises that towns and cities do not work as
individual entities. Villages, towns and cities are connected to each other and
may develop different roles and characteristics within an overall polycentric
urban network.

The idea of creating specific functions for towns and strengthening their role
by encouraging links between private and public sector agencies is characteristic of the polycentric concept. This has been a feature of urban development in the Netherlands, particularly in the Randstad area, where the cities of Amsterdam (commerce), Rotterdam (port industry), the Hague (government services) and Utrecht (national headquarters) have traditionally contrasting roles.

If the effect of the decentralisation plan within the context of the NSS is that
towns of varying sizes can function in an overall urban network without the
dominance of Dublin, this will be a significant achievement and may need
change to the NSS. The challenge for architects, urban designers and planners is to respond to these emerging patterns in a proactive way that overcomes
negative effects such as excessive car-based mobility and urban sprawl.

However, at this stage it is difficult to see how the effects of sprawl, as a result of urban generated rural development, can be avoided. I was impressed, at the recent Urban Design Seminar organised jointly by the
RIAI/IPI and IEI, by the paper delivered by Mike Shanahan on his practice’s work on the Cork Rural Design Guide. This publication is a significant contribution to the issue of building in the Irish countryside. Among the aims of the guide are to:

• stimulate debate about design
• foster greater consistency in planning decision-making
• inform and inspire applicants, builders, designers and planners
• conserve and enhance the Cork landscape and environment

Unlike some earlier guide versions, this one encourages the imaginative and
radical as well as the tried and tested, provided they complement their
surroundings. It does this by promoting an understanding of key design
principles and the characteristics of Cork heritage and landscape.

The RIAI Housing Committee intends to hold further Urban Design Seminars
and produce a publication on the ‘new urbanism’, which will illustrate principles
and built examples of model extensions and interventions to our cities, towns
and villages. Though these initiatives we will continue with our efforts to
promote improved standards in housing design and sustainable rural and urban development.