Too many one-off houses are still being built in the countryside, according to the President of the Irish Planning Institute (IPI).

Gerry Sheeran said the issue persisted despite new guidelines on sustainable rural housing being introduced in 2005

Speaking at the recent presentation of the IPI National Planning Awards 2010, Mr Sheeran said: "Prior to 1971 there was a total of 156,000 one-off houses in the State. There are now approximately 450,000 such dwellings.

"There has been no decline in the rate of construction one-off houses since these guidelines were introduced and, in fact, in 2009, there were 12,000 individual houses completed and only 9,000 houses constructed within residential developments."

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Mr Sheeran claimed the negative effects of the proliferation of one-off houses were undermining the vibrancy of rural towns and villages and causing a serious environmental impact.

He also said the State was paying three times as much to service rural housing as housing in villages, towns and cities.

"The more affluent move to the countryside while the less well off remain in the villages and this can result in serious social imbalance," Mr Sheeran added.

"It should be noted that the average one-off house has double the floor area of the average urban house."

The Government’s 'Smarter Travel' transport policy stated that the need to improve the alignment of spatial and transport policy to stop urban sprawl and urban–generated one-off housing in peri-urban areas was pivotal.

As a result, Mr Sheeran said that the Sustainable Rural Housing Guidelines 2005 should be radically reviewed to prevent the proliferation of urban generated housing in the countryside and should be clear, consistent and unambiguous.

(NS/GK)