elphin local area plan 2009 - 2015 - Roscommon County Council
elphin local area plan 2009 - 2015 - Roscommon County Council
elphin local area plan 2009 - 2015 - Roscommon County Council
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Chapter 9: Urban Development<br />
Street. Due to the linear nature of the settlement there is no definite town centre or core. The Planning<br />
Authority will encourage the vitality of the town through the refurbishment and replacement of buildings,<br />
where appropriate. Small pockets of infill development and individual replacement residential units,<br />
within the town centre, will also be encouraged. Appropriate higher density development in appropriate<br />
locations, on serviced land, will also be encouraged.<br />
The majority of existing residential development in the Elphin LAP <strong>area</strong> consists of privately owned<br />
single-storey and two-storey dwellings. Two-storey is the predominant house type. There are several<br />
recently constructed residential estates in the <strong>area</strong> and it is estimated that a significant portion of future<br />
development will be of a similar scale and nature. There is a need to improve the connectivity and<br />
accessibility of a number of recent residential developments in the <strong>area</strong> with Elphin Town.<br />
Town centre locations are suitable for appropriate increased densities and increased populations will assist<br />
in urban regeneration, make more intensive use of existing infrastructure, support <strong>local</strong> services and<br />
employment, and encourage affordable housing provision. Increased populations will also assist in<br />
sustaining alternative modes of travel, such as walking, cycling and public transport. Densities which<br />
reinforce street patterns can assist in retaining the character of towns and villages.<br />
The scale of historic and more recent residential development trends in <strong>County</strong> <strong>Roscommon</strong> indicate that<br />
residential dwelling densities have, as a rule of thumb, not exceeded 10 dwellings per hectare, even in the<br />
more developed parts of <strong>County</strong>. <strong>County</strong> <strong>Roscommon</strong> is by nature a predominantly rural <strong>area</strong>, where a<br />
significant proportion of residential development is in rural locations.<br />
In towns such as Elphin densities which reinforce street patterns are acceptable. A lower density is often<br />
acceptable for places such as Elphin. Taking these densities into consideration, where appropriate higher<br />
densities will be encouraged, however densities may be lower further from the town core and may fall<br />
below 8 per acre in limited circumstances on serviced land, in order to act as an alternative to the<br />
provision of one-off rural housing.<br />
When <strong>plan</strong>ning for the intensification and rationalisation of the existing residential footprint of the town it<br />
is imperative to consider the following objectives and principles of sustainable development:<br />
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a reduction in the need for transportation and traveling;<br />
the promotion of higher density residential development, thereby making more efficient use of the<br />
land resource available in Elphin;<br />
reduction in the extent of urban expansion and sprawl, combined with the avoidance of and<br />
safeguarding against urban coalescence, which results from a loss of distinction between urban<br />
and rural <strong>area</strong>s; and<br />
promotion of development on ‘brown-field’ sites thereby reducing the need for new development<br />
on ‘green-field’ sites;<br />
These objectives meet with the aspirations of national and <strong>local</strong> policy as well as best practice on<br />
sustainable development, including the key publication on ‘Sustainable Development: A Strategy for<br />
Ireland’.<br />
The LAP takes a detailed look at Elphin, identifying and analysing the various issues of relevance, before<br />
establishing and setting out principles for the future development of the <strong>area</strong>. The purpose of this LAP is<br />
to set out objectives for the proper <strong>plan</strong>ning and sustainable development of the <strong>area</strong>. It sets out a<br />
framework for the optimal development of the land within the envelope taking into consideration the<br />
requirements for residential development, social and community infrastructure, physical infrastructure,<br />
economic and industrial development and the needs for greenbelt/environmental corridors to link various<br />
uses.<br />
Elphin Local Area Plan <strong>2009</strong>-<strong>2015</strong> Page 93