A rural housing sustainability index Available to Purchase

The pressure on planning authorities in Ireland to grant permission for rural housing has led to increasing public dissention, frequently leading to political intervention on behalf of individuals; this in turn has severely undermined county planning strategies. The objective of the rural housing sustainability index is to ensure that better-quality and more sustainable housing is constructed in rural areas, while also minimising the effect of such housing on the rural environment. The index uses 70 criteria or indicators categorised into site, design, construction and social indicators. A score is allocated for each indicator with higher scores allocated for more sustainable actions or options. Threshold scores are set for each category from which the sustainability of the proposed development is determined. This allows planners to more accurately assess the impact of rural development as well as increasing the sustainability of the housing stock. The concept of a trade-off, by allowing more sustainable and sensitive housing in areas where normal housing is inappropriate, is explored.