Let’s face it, there are times when we all want to get away from the hustle and bustle of life in the city and retire to the country. The silence, the stillness, the peace. Somewhere where to can slow down & think..
Unfortunately though, living in the country isn’t often possible for everyone. For may people it is not possible to get planning permission in the countryside as planners with to reserve rural settlement for those who have a genuine link to the country locality. An example is of course those who grew up on a farm. Yes, there are general provisions in planning permission policy for farmers’ offspring and indeed those who grew up in the rural area as well as those with economic links to an area as well as those associated with the farming or forestry industries. The exact guidelines on these planning permission terms vary depending on the exact zoning of the land in question and should be verified by an architect or engineer for your potential new home in the country.
So what are the rules?
You need ideally to be the first sibling to seek planning permission on a site (usually)
You need to have a housing need (you cannot already have a house or sought planning permission perviously)
The new house needs to become your Principal Private Residence (you need to live there and not sell it or rent it out)
So the first hurdle is qualification under the relevant planning permission zoning policy (above) and you will need to fill out various (Supplementary Application) forms to substantiate your case. The next step is the designing of your new home. This needs to be aligned with the county council guidelines. Cork County Council for example have provided an excellent on-line booklet detailing what they consider to be acceptable house design, a must have guide to all budding self-builders.
As a general rule planners ideally wish you to build something that speaks to its rural setting, a modern interpretation of the classical Irish farmhouse cottage. In reality this was a simple, effective and pleasant form which still provides a wonderful template for modern architects to create wonderful and exciting rural homes, that blend effortlessly with their rural surroundings, ideal when seeking to design a new home in the country.
Who knows, maybe you do qualify for planning permission with the terms above and will one day hear birds chirping in the morning instead of the rattle and clatter of the early rising traffic!