Rural Design Advice for Individual Houses in the Countryside

6.DESIGNING WITH THE PLANNING SYSTEMConsidering an ApplicationThe local planning authority is committed to securinghigh quality design in the County and the need to engageeffectively with applicants. The Council has a duty tocommunicate to applicants the particular issues thatneed to be considered before making an application, andto explain to them what is required. Pre-planningmeetings are therefore encouraged.Likewise applicants will be expected to demonstrate fromthe outset that careful consideration has been given tothe location, siting and design of new housing in thecountryside. In most cases the assistance of skilledarchitects and designers should be sought for preparingthe application, especially for sensitive locations. Thiswill not only help achieve good quality design, but mayalso speed-up the planning process. Applicants, andtheir agents, should familiarise themselves with therelevant policies of the County Development Plan, aswell as the principles and advice contained in this DesignAdvice and other relevant Council documents.Submitting an ApplicationGuidance notes regarding the scale, level of detail anddrawings necessary for applying for Planning Permissionare obtainable from the County Council - a typicalexample of a comprehensive application for a one-offhouse in the countryside is shown on the followingpages.‘Your Guide to the Planning Process’ (LimerickCounty Council Planning Department) contains somegeneral information about applying for planningpermission, gives help to complete the application formand sets out clearly all of the information which shouldbe submitted with the application. If careful attention ispaid to the information in the guide, you will greatly assistthe Council in considering your application and will savetime in having a decision reached.However, there are some problems and omissions thatcommonly occur: Lack of sufficient level of information. Indicateexisting and proposed site levels, and finished floorlevels for all new houses. Many sites in the Countyare sloping and must be designed accordingly. Indicate in as much detail as possible proposedbuilding materials for all building elements - includingtheir colour and texture, and if possible theirmanufacturer/supplier. Remember to consider the scale and orientation ofany adjoining buildings. Contiguous elevations andcross sections may be especially important inassessing the interrelationship of new house types,and may be required as part of the application forcertain schemes; Consider the spaces between buildings, theirlandscaping, planting and materials at the earlieststage in the design. A qualified Landscape Architectwill have special expertise in these matters andshould be involved in scheme design whereverpossible, especially for sensitive or conspicuoussites. Submit a design statement with the planningapplication—see appendix 3.In most cases, preparation of the planning applicationwill require the services of an architect or agent at somepoint in the planning process. It is recommended that aqualified architect is employed where a house is large orin a sensitive location.An ‘agent’ can act on your behalf in terms of planningadvice, particularly for smaller developments such asone-off houses, as well as preparing the drawingsnecessary for the application to be considered by theplanning authority. Instead, it is possible to havesomeone prepare the plans/drawings for you to submitwith the application.In either instance, it is essential that whoever preparesthe application is familiar with this Design Advice as wellas other specific requirements of the Council such assiting, traffic safety, public health, design standards, etc.as contained in the current County Development Plan.62.County Limerick: Rural Design Advice for Individual Houses in the Countryside