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Inspector’s Report ABP-304414-19. Development Permission for the construction of a house, garage, wastewater treatment system, entrance and all associated site works. Location Ballyda, Danesfort, Co. Kilkenny. Planning Authority Kilkenny County Council. Planning Authority Reg. Ref. 18/735. Applicant(s) Martin Brophy & Laura Maher. Type of Application Permission. Planning Authority Decision Refuse. Type of Appeal First Party. Appellant(s) Martin Brophy & Laura Maher. Observer(s) None. Date of Site Inspection 6th August, 2019. Inspector A. Considine. ABP-304414-19 Inspector’s Report Page 1 of 16 1.0 Site Location and Description 1.1. The subject site is located in the townland of Ballyda, Danesfort, Co. Kilkenny, approximately 10km to the south of the city of Kilkenny. The N10 road is located approximately 0.6km to the east with Junction 9 on the M9 motorway, 2km to the south east of the site. The site is accessed over the LT-42001, a local tertiary cul-de- sac road which currently provides access to 15 houses plus 1 unoccupied house, and farms, including 5 one off houses immediately to the south of the subject site. The existing houses comprise a variety of sizes and styles including single storey and two storey houses, and primarily lie to the east of the road. The area is quite rural in character but the site is within walking distance of the existing community facilities at Dansefort, including the national school, church and GAA sports facility. 1.2. The site comprises the southern section of a larger field which has road frontage on two roads. The natural site levels provide for a generally level site which slopes slightly upwards from the public road towards the rear and south western corner of the site. The site has a stated area of 0.97ha². 2.0 Proposed Development 2.1. Permission is sought for the construction of a house, garage, wastewater treatment system, entrance and all associated site works, all at Ballyda, Danesfort, Co. Kilkenny. 2.2. The proposed house is a 3 bedroom dormer house, with a stated floor area of 214m² over two floors and a single storey detached shed with a floor area of 52m². The house will rise to a total height of 6.892m and the application included the relevant plans and particulars. 2.3. It is proposed that the house will be serviced with a private well and a conventional septic tank system and 108 linear meters of percolation trench. The application included a Site Suitability Assessment. ABP-304414-19 Inspector’s Report Page 2 of 16 3.0 Planning Authority Decision 3.1. Decision The Planning Authority decided to refuse permission for the proposed development, for the following stated reason: 1. Taking account of the evidence of groundwater contamination, with particular regard to nitrate contamination, and taking further consideration of recommended intervention levels, the Local Authority is not satisfied that the effluent from the proposed site can be discharged at the site without risk to public health or the environment. It is considered that further development will exacerbate the threat to groundwater quality which, in turn, will represent an unacceptable risk to public health and the environment. 3.2. Planning Authority Reports 3.2.1. Planning Reports The planning report considered the detail and nature of the proposed development, together with submissions made in relation to the proposal, the planning history in the area and policy requirements. In addition the reports from the Environment Section of Kilkenny County Council were considered in the planning assessment. Following a request for further information, the final planning report formed the basis of the Planning Authoritys decision to refuse permission. 3.2.2. Other Technical Reports: Area Engineer: No objection subject to compliance with conditions. Environment Section: Recommends refusal following the submission of further information in relation to ground water sampling results. 3.2.3. Prescribed Bodies: None. 3.2.4. Third Party Submissions: None ABP-304414-19 Inspector’s Report Page 3 of 16 4.0 Planning History None. 5.0 Policy Context 5.1. National Planning Framework – Project Ireland 2040, DoHP&LG 2018 National Policy Objective 19 refers to the necessity to demonstrate a functional economic or social requirement for housing need in areas under urban influence, i.e. the commuter catchment of cities and large towns and centres of employment. This will also be subject to siting and design considerations. In rural areas elsewhere, it refers to the need to facilitate the provision of single housing in the countryside based on siting and design criteria for rural housing in statutory guidelines and plans, having regard to the viability of smaller towns and rural settlements. 5.2. Sustainable Rural Housing Guidelines for Planning Authorities The Guidelines refer to persons considered as constituting those with rural generated housing needs being persons who are an intrinsic part of the rural community or working full-time, or part-time, in rural areas. The Guidelines refer to persons who are an intrinsic part of the community as having ‘spent substantial periods of their lives, living in rural areas as members of the established rural community. Examples would include farmers, their sons and daughters and or any persons taking over the ownership and running of farms, as well as people who have lived most of their lives in rural areas and are building their first homes’. Appendix 4 refers to Ribbon Development. It states: These guidelines recommend against the creation of ribbon development for a variety of reasons relating to road safety, future demands for the provision of public infrastructure as well as visual impacts. Other forms of development, such as clustered development, well set back from the public road and served by an individual entrance can be used to overcome these problems in facilitating necessary development in rural areas. And ABP-304414-19 Inspector’s Report Page 4 of 16 …areas characterised by ribbon development will in most cases be located on the edges of cities and towns and will exhibit characteristics such as a high density of almost continuous road frontage type development, for example where 5 or more houses exist on any one side of a given 250 metres of road frontage. Whether a given proposal will exacerbate such ribbon development or could be considered will depend on: • The type of rural area and circumstances of the applicant, • The degree to which the proposal might be considered infill development, and • The degree to which existing ribbon development would be extended or whether distinct areas of ribbon development would coalesce as a result of the development. 5.3. Development Plan 5.3.1. The Kilkenny County Development Plan 2014-2020 is the relevant policy document pertaining to the subject site which is located in the open countryside within Co. Kilkenny and in an area designated as an Area Under Urban Influence. Chapter 3 deals with the Core Strategy with Section 3.5 dealing with Rural Settlement Strategy, Section 3.5.2 dealing with Rural Housing Policies which deals with urban and rural generated rural housing and ribbon development. while 3.5.2.1 relates to Areas Under Urban Influence, including the requirements for occupancy conditions and sterilisation agreements. The full text of the development plan sections is provided in the appendix to this report. 5.3.2. The following sections are considered relevant: • 3.5 Rural Settlement Strategy The rural settlement strategy is based on the Sustainable Rural Housing Guidelines for Planning Authorities. The objective of the Council’s rural housing strategy is to provide for sustainable rural communities without compromising the physical, environmental, natural or heritage resources of the county. ABP-304414-19 Inspector’s Report Page 5 of 16 • Rural Housing Policies o Urban Generated Rural Housing: Housing in rural areas sought by persons living and working in urban areas, including second homes. The Council will endeavour to accommodate urban generated housing within the development limits of all towns and villages subject to appropriate servicing arrangements o Rural Generated Housing: Housing needed in rural areas within the established rural community by persons from that community or whose occupation is intrinsically linked with that particular rural area as defined in Section 3.5.2.3 below (of the CDP). o Ribbon Development: is defined as existing where there are 5 or more houses on any one side of a given 250 metres of road frontage. If four houses exist on any one side of a given 250 metres of road frontage, it is likely that ribbon development may be created with an additional house. 5.3.3. The site is located within an area classified as Area Under Urban Influence. The following sections of the Plan are relevant: • 3.5.2.1 Areas under Urban Influence Areas classified as under Urban Pressure are located close to the immediate environs or commuting catchment of cities and towns or to major transport corridors with ready access to urban areas. They are characterised by rapidly rising populations and/or considerable pressure for housing development. It is the Council’s objective for areas of urban influence to facilitate the rural generated housing requirements of the local rural community (as identified in this section) while on the other hand directing urban generated rural housing to areas zoned for new housing development in the city, towns and villages. • Development in such areas are subject to: o Occupancy Condition All permission granted for rural housing within the Areas of Urban Influence shall be subject to an occupancy condition restricting the use of the dwelling to the applicant or members of his/her ABP-304414-19 Inspector’s Report Page 6 of 16 immediate family as a place of permanent residence for a period of seven years from the date of first occupancy.

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