Sir, – Modern town planning emerged as a reaction to urban congestion and legal reform and was initially driven by public health concerns. In my opinion, the so-called shedsits now give rise to concerns about living conditions and public health
We might, therefore, ask how they will be assessed by the State’s quasi-judicial An Coimisiún Pleanála and the Office of the Planning Regulator (OPR)
The OPR plays a vital role in enabling sustainable development that protects the environment and also enhances communities. Could the work of the OPR be undermined by the latest Government plans to reduce controls over random housing, scattering one-off dwellings across the countryside and spreading shedsits in urban areas?
Buildings with big footprints block out nature, leaving less space for trees. Shedsits blot out back gardens, bringing more deterioration of our surroundings. Children no longer see greenery or wildlife
Shedsits deprive less-wealthy people of amenity and privacy. They consign them to meaner surroundings that will challenge their health and their wellbeing. Of course, amenity is hard to define
However, it gets easier when we add qualities such as privacy into the mix – ask any auctioneer or estate agent. Privacy is something most house occupants cherish. It clearly enhances the value of a house and it offers an informality that allows residents to relax away from the public gaze
Shedsits are part of a new planning strategy. It drives densification in urban areas, but allows rural houses to spread randomly without the supporting services. How will the OPR deal with such a contradictory planning framework, with densification in urban areas and anti-densification in rural areas?
Inevitably, the shedsits model promoted by the Minister of Housing, James Browne, will lead families further away from the bright surroundings we aspire to. It would take us back to the damaged living conditions that the planning system was created to cure
Planning consultant,
Clonskeagh,
Dublin 14
