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 />
new development will be expected to improve the existing urban fabric and form of Elphin. Whether<br />
innovative, contemporary or more traditional in form, design should take account of the surrounding<br />
buildings and complement rather than detract from the existing urban character of the Town.<br />
Overall building heights in Elphin must be relatively low and in keeping with the existing character of the<br />
village. Buildings should address, for example; design, overshadowing, overlooking, scale of existing<br />
streetscape, structures or spaces of historic or other importance, views; open space, and micro-climate.<br />
9.8 SUSTAINABLE ENERGY AND DESIGN<br />
Ireland is more dependent on imported oil for our energy requirements than almost any other European<br />
country and it will take up to 10 years to significantly reduce this dependence. The promotion of<br />
renewable energy throughout the county is important both for economic and environmental reasons.<br />
Environmentally, the harnessing of renewables for energy production releases no harmful greenhouse<br />
gases, reduces <strong>local</strong> air pollution and produces little or no waste. In addition, renewable energy can<br />
contribute to employment generation either directly in the renewables industry or indirectly in the supply<br />
industry. Renewable energy comes from natural, inexhaustible sources such as the sun (solar), wind,<br />
falling water (hydro), oceans (wave), <strong>plan</strong>ts (biomass and biofuels) and the earth (geothermal heat pumps).<br />
Renewable energy can also be derived from a range of waste products (sewage, municipal solid waste and<br />
agricultural waste). The <strong>Council</strong> recognises the significant environmental and economic benefits<br />
associated with energy production from renewable resources as well as; the importance of reducing our<br />
CO2 emissions and our dependence on oil in an uncertain global market. The technology of renewable<br />
energy is well advanced and widely available. Grants are now available to householders to provide<br />
systems in existing or new housing.<br />
The <strong>Council</strong> will encourage more sustainable development through energy end use efficiency, increasing<br />
the use of renewable energy, and improved energy performance of all new building developments<br />
throughout the <strong>County</strong>.<br />
9.8.1 Building Construction and Energy Use<br />
The Building Control Bill 2005 is intended in part to implement certain provisions of European Parliament<br />
Directive 2002/91/EC on the energy performance of buildings. Following the enactment of this Bill, in<br />
January 2007 any new dwelling that applied for <strong>plan</strong>ning permission on or after the 1st of January 2007<br />
will require a BER before they are offered for sale or rent. This requirement has been extended to all new<br />
non-residential buildings since July 2008 and to existing buildings offered for sale or rent in January <strong>2009</strong>.<br />
In addition, all public buildings with a floor <strong>area</strong> of 1,000 square metres must display a building energy<br />
rating BER certificate; and proposals for buildings exceeding 1,000 square metres, must consider the<br />
technical, environmental and economic feasibility of using alternative energy systems in the proposed<br />
building, and use of such systems has to be taken into account, as far as practicable, in the design of the<br />
proposed building.<br />
Houses being offered for sale or letting must produce details of this energy rating. The requirement that<br />
building designs will have to be energy rated for building regulation compliance reasons, facilitates the<br />
<strong>Council</strong> in setting energy requirements for new buildings by giving the means for creating or specifying<br />
benchmarks for all buildings based on these national methodologies.<br />
Further information on both Sustainable Energy and Design, and Building Construction and Energy Use is<br />
contained in Chapter 5 of the RCDP, 2008-2014.<br />
Elphin Local Area Plan <strong>2009</strong>-<strong>2015</strong> Page 113