Chapter 15: Smaller Serviced Villages

Carlow County Development Plan 2022-2028

Dúnta28 Mei, 2022, 3:21pm - 28 Mei, 2022, 3:23pm

15.5 Smaller Serviced Villages

As outlined in Chapter 2, Smaller Rural Villages include:

Ardattin
Ballinkillen
Bennekerry
Bilboa
Clonmore
Glynn
Nurney
Old Leighlin
St. Mullins
Tiknock

They comprise settlements located throughout the County with limited services and populations generally of less than 200. These villages contain schools and community facilities supporting the surrounding rural area. It is the policy of the Council to promote the serviced villages as an attractive housing option for rural areas of the County through the promotion of quality of life, placemaking and sufficient local service and infrastructure provision (Ref: CSP 10).

The smaller serviced settlements have been allocated an overall growth figure of 119 units over the period of the Plan 2022-2028. Development will be facilitated at a sustainable scale across the group of smaller villages to cater for small scale residential schemes, local services, small scale employment and community facilities. The Council will support high quality designed development on sites within the village boundaries subject to proper planning considerations and the environmental carrying capacity of the area.

Consideration of planning applications for development within the villages will have regard to the role and form of the village within the wider rural area with particular care being taken that these settlements do not compete with the designated larger serviced villages in the services they provide or the role and function they play within the rural area.

Smaller Serviced Village– Policies

It is the policy of the Council to:

SV. P1:

Encourage and support the provision of local services, local employment opportunities, amenities and facilities within the development boundary of smaller serviced villages subject to environmental capacity considerations. Development shall be of an appropriate scale to support the local population and the immediate environs of the village. Larger scale services/amenity facilities e.g football pitches etc where sufficient land is unavailable in the settlement should seek to locate on the immediate edge of the settlement boundary where possible, in order to maintain and facilitate accessibility from the village centre.

SV. P2:

Require any proposals for residential / infill development to preserve or improve residential and visual amenity, to be of an appropriate scale, density and form respecting the existing character of the area. Having regard to the pattern of development in the majority of the smaller villages, suburban residential schemes will not be permitted. Small-scale clusters (generally no more than 6 units within a scheme) will be encouraged. Exceptions to this will be considered on a case by case basis and only in circumstances where the Planning Authority is satisfied that a larger scheme would not adversely affect the character and visual amenity of the village.

SV. P3:

Support the development of a “New Homes in Small Towns and villages” initiative which would augment the delivery of actions by Local Authorities, Irish Water, communities and other stakeholders in the provision of services and serviced sites to create “build your own home” opportunities within the existing footprint of rural settlements to provide new homes to meet housing demand.

SV. P4:

Support the retention of buildings with architectural merit, significant architectural features, historic/heritage structures and archaeological sites that contribute to the village character and setting.

SV. P5:

Support the expansion of existing educational facilities within the smaller villages and to promote the provision of childcare facilities to meet local demand and encourage the location of such facilities near schools where possible.

SV. P6:

Support the development of backland areas in the centre of the villages of an appropriate type, scale and character that will contribute to a more compact settlement core and which provide good linkages and connectivity to the village centre / local facilities.

SV. P7:

Seek to ensure that all development proposals have regard to the character, form and scale of the existing settlement and comprises of a high-quality design which will make a positive contribution to the character of the area. The proposed design shall emerge from careful analysis of the site location, surrounding context and the specific characteristics of the site itself. Specific features that contribute to the character of an area e.g. trees , hedgerows, stone walls etc shall be carefully retained and integrated into the proposed design.

SV. P8:

Seek the reuse where possible of brownfield lands, underutilised buildings / out buildings within the village boundary where same would make a positive contribution in maintaining the character of the settlement.

SV. P9:

Seek to ensure that strong linkages to the village core are provided and that new development addresses connectivity to the core of the settlement, community / service facilities with the provision of footpaths, where deemed appropriate.

Flood Risk Management

SV. P10:

Manage flood risk in Bennekerry, Glynn, Old Leighlin and St. Mullins in accordance with the following provisions:

New highly vulnerable development is only appropriate within Flood Zone C. New less vulnerable development is only appropriate within Flood Zone B/C. For existing development within Flood Zone A/B it is not appropriate to undertake significant redevelopment whereby additional numbers of people are introduced into the Flood Zone.

Any future development should be subject to an FRA which must follow the general guidance provided in Section 6 of the SFRA and specifically address the following:

Existing flood data is indicative and does not provide flood levels. An appropriately detailed hydraulic model will be required to confirm flood levels and extents;
FRA should address climate change scenarios in relation to FFLs and potential mitigation measures;
Finished floor levels should be above the 1% AEP level plus climate change and freeboard;
For existing development in Zone A/B extensions/renovations bedrooms should be located in the upstairs of two-storey buildings;
Flood resilient construction materials and fittings should be considered if in Flood Zone A/B;
Proposals should not impede existing flow paths or cause flood risk impacts to the surrounding areas;
Emergency evacuation plan and defined access / egress routes should be developed for extreme flood events; and,
Any development shall also be required to be built in accordance with Carlow County Council SuDS Policy.

Smaller Serviced Villages - Objectives

It is an objective of the Council to:

SV. O1:

Monitor and review smaller serviced villages in the County, across the lifetime of the Plan, in order to ensure compatibility with the Core Strategy and environmental protection objectives.

SV. O2:

Support the regeneration of rural villages through the implementation of regeneration projects for rural villages and rural areas which could harness untapped assets with community and wider private and public sector support and investment including the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund.