elphin local area plan 2009 - 2015 - Roscommon County Council

Chapter 9: Urban Development
Housing Location in Urban Evaluation considerations
Areas
The Asset Test
Are there existing community resources, such as schools etc.,
with spare capacity?
The Carrying Capacity
Is the environment setting capable of absorbing development
in terms of drainage etc.?
The Transport Test
Is there potential for reinforcing usage of public transport,
walking and cycling?
The Economic Development Test Is there potential to ensure integration between the location of
housing and employment?
The Character Test
Will the proposal reinforce a sense of place and character?
The Community Test
Will the proposal reinforce the integrity and vitality of the
local community and services that can be provided?
The Integration Test
Will the proposal aid an integrated approach to catering for the
housing needs of all sections of society?
Table 6: Broad Evaluation Framework
Sustainable provision of housing in urban areas also involves:
• Concentration of development in locations where it is possible to integrate employment,
community services, retailing and public transport
• Mixed-use and well-designed higher density development, particularly near town centres and
public transport nodes like railway stations.
• The efficient use of land by consolidating existing settlements, focusing in particular on
development capacity within central urban areas through re-use of under-utilised land and
buildings as a priority, rather than extending green field development. See the suggestions in this
regard in Table 7 below.
• Ensuring that new housing development in or at the edges of villages and small towns is of a
quality of design, character, scale and layout that is well related to the character and form of the
village or small town in question at its particular stage of development.
• Avoiding environmentally sensitive areas in developing proposals for major extensions to built-up
areas.
• Placing a high degree of emphasis on creating living environments of the highest quality through
attention to detail in urban design, integration of amenities, facilities for children, older persons
and sections of the community with special needs.
Urban Consolidation Priorities
1. Identify opportunities for reuse
Through the development plan process, identify under-utilised,
derelict or undeveloped lands within towns and villages.
2. Realise options for re-use Realise identified opportunities using, for example, the Derelict
Sites Act and acquisition of key sites.
3. Identify extension options Where sufficient development opportunities within the urban
area are not available, consider appropriate extension options to
the village or town.
4. Realise extension options Follow up on options for extensions to the built up area using
the tests on Box 5.2.
Table 7: Urban Consolidation Priorities
Towns and villages in some areas are declining in population, resulting in under-utilisation of serviced
land, dereliction and consequent impacts on the quality of places. This cycle can be broken by a more
Elphin Local Area Plan 2009-2015 Page 82