elphin local area plan 2009 - 2015 - Roscommon County Council

Chapter 9: Urban Development
The Housing Strategy for County Roscommon which formed part of the RCDP 2008 – 2014 indicated
that based on the population projections for the County, 2455 additional households would be formed
from 2008 – 2014. An indicative distribution of new household formations was also provided for various
settlements which indicated that 100 households would be formed in the Elphin area. It was stressed that
this figure would require flexibility to address the changes in current, emerging and future local
circumstances.
The DoEHLG publication, Development Plans: Guidelines for Planning Authorities (June, 2007),
indicates that;
“Planning Authorities should take all reasonable steps to ensure that sufficient zoned residential land is
available throughout the lifetime of the development plan and beyond to meet anticipated needs and allow
for an element of choice. In particular, to ensure continuity of supply of zoned residential land, planning
authorities should ensure that at the time they make a development plan, enough land will be available to
meet needs for the next nine years.” (p 34)
This effectively means providing 50% more land than is required for the development plan period of 6
years. The average dwellings per acre in the Elphin LAP area has rarely exceeded 8 and if the lowest
figure recommended within the Residential Density Guidelines (1999) of 8 dwellings per acre were to be
applied, the 150 additional households (100 + 50) could be accommodated on 18.75, say 19 acres (7.7
hectares) of land. These 150 households would account for a population of 414, at 2.76 people per
household from 2006 census.
The amount of land zoned for New Residential development as part of this Elphin LAP 2009-2015 is
significantly greater than 19 acres; it is 73 acres of land, which is over three times the required amount.
The level of residential zoned lands based on an average density of 8 units per acre (19 per hectare) would
allow for approximately 584 units over the lifetime of the plan. At the current rate of development, as
indicated in the Housing Strategy, this would facilitate for development in Elphin for a considerable
period.
Considering the implications that such development is likely to have if it were to be carried out, in terms
of servicing, roads and transportation, and social and community facilities, it is likely to have significant
environmental effects. In addition, if these units were constructed the population in the areas zoned for
new residential development at 2.76 persons per household (CSO, 2006 Roscommon County Average)
they could cater for an additional 1,612 people in the area.
It is therefore proposed that land zoned for residential development will be subject to a phasing
programme, for release which is based on the sequential approach. It is envisaged that those areas closest
to the established residential areas, for example lands north and south of Main Street (R368), which have
ready access to public services and facilities and would consolidate development in the area, should be
developed first.
Lands which are more remote and do not have direct access to a public sewer system should be developed
over the longer term. It should be noted that planning permissions will only be approved within the LAP
boundary once it is proven that sewerage with adequate capacity is available to the development.
Preference will be given to areas that can avail of existing sewerage by gravity. The use of further private
pumping stations will only be permitted in exceptional circumstances and in strategically important areas.
Therefore the following specific Phasing Programme is recommended. Please also see Map 8 at the end of
this of this LAP.
The principles of this phasing programme will take precedence in the determination and consideration of
in-depth planning applications. Table 8 below outlines a phased schedule of development for Elphin. It is
desirable that each phase would be fully developed before development in another phase commences, this,
however, is not realistic and the Planning Authority will expect 70% of a preceding phase to be developed
Elphin Local Area Plan 2009-2015 Page 94