4 Housing and Community Facilities
4.1 Housing
Building strong, inclusive communities is a key element in achieving sustainable development objectives. Sustainable communities require not only economic development, but also provision of and access to education, health and community support services, amenities and leisure services and a good quality built environment.
The Council’s role is to formulate a planning policy for housing, consider planning applications for private housing, ensure that sufficient lands are zoned to meet the projected housing demand and provide houses or facilitate the provision of social and affordable housing for those unable to house themselves. The County Council is both the housing authority and the planning authority. In these roles it has the capacity to influence the supply, location and scale of new housing within its functional area.
The Council’s core objective in relation to the provision of housing is to ensure that every household has accommodation suitable to their needs, located in a suitable environment, at a price or rent it can afford.
4.2 Housing Strategy
Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000 requires that housing strategies be drawn up by planning authorities and integrated into their development plans.
The housing strategy shall:
(a) include an estimate of, and provision for, the existing need and the likely future need for housing in the area covered by the development plan. The Planning Authority shall ensure that sufficient and suitable land is zoned in its development plan for residential use (or for a mixture of residential and other uses), to meet the requirements of the housing strategy and to ensure that a scarcity of such land does not occur at any time during the period of the development plan.
(b) take into account the need to ensure that housing is available for persons who have different levels of income, and in particular for those in need of social or affordable housing in the area. A housing strategy shall therefore provide that as a general policy a specified percentage, not being more than 20% of the land zoned in the development plan for residential use, or for a mixture of residential and other uses, shall be reserved for social and/or affordable housing.
(c) ensure that a mixture of house types and sizes is developed to reasonably match the requirements of the different categories of households, as may be determined by the Planning Authority, including the special requirements of elderly persons and persons with disabilities.
(d) counteract undue segregation in housing between persons of different social backgrounds. The Planning Authority may indicate in respect of any residential area that there is no requirement for social/affordable housing in respect of that area, or that a lower percentage than that specified in the housing strategy may instead be required.
The needs of various groups, including the homeless, travellers and the elderly are addressed as part of the Housing Strategy.
A Housing Strategy has been prepared for the period 2008-2014 for both Kilkenny Borough and County Councils. This Strategy is incorporated into the Development Plan in Appendix A. As part of Variation No.2 Core Strategy a review of the affordability indicators was conducted in 2011. This is included as appendix A1.
The principal features to emerge from the analysis presented in the 2011 affordability review are as follows:
• A total of 1,892 new households are planned for in County Kilkenny during the period 2010 to 2014.
• The existing local authority waiting list is c.2,789
• Over the period of the strategy 20% of land zoned for residential or a mix of residential and other land uses will be reserved for social and affordable housing.
• Kilkenny has been particularly affected by issues related to housing affordability over the period of the previous housing strategy due to relatively low per-capita disposable income, rising number of household formations and other demand factors affecting household formations.
• The availability of zoned land is not expected to act as a constraint over the course of the Development Plan 2008 – 2014.
POLICY
• HCF1 To implement the Housing Strategy contained in Appendix A and A1 of the Development Plan as amended by Variation 2.
• HCF2 To require 20% of the land zoned for residential use, or for a mixture of residential and other uses, be made available for the provision of social and affordable housing.
• HCF3 To assist and facilitate state and community bodies in the development of a Traveller horse project in the county
It is the view of the Planning Department that the requirements of Part V of the Planning and Development Act, 2000 in relation to any particular site should be incorporated into any development proposal at an early stage in the development process. The Council will therefore require housing developers to whom the 20% requirement will apply to discuss the likely terms of Part V agreements at pre-planning consultations. Both the Council and the developer would thus have a common understanding of the nature of the likely agreement before detailed designs are prepared for any planning application.
Conditions attached to planning permissions for residential development will require developers to enter into an agreement with the Council in relation to the provision of social and affordable housing in accordance with the housing strategy.
The various options for compliance are set down in the Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2002. The following preferred options are available to satisfy the requirements of the housing strategy, in decreasing order of preference –
• The transfer of the required number of completed dwellings on the site,
• The transfer of a portion of the site subject to the planning application,
• The transfer of completed dwellings elsewhere,
• The transfer of fully or partially serviced sites on the site which will enable the Council to provide the appropriate number of units thereon,
• The transfer of serviced sites at another location,
• The transfer of land at another location,
• The payment of a monetary contribution.
An agreement may provide for a combination of the above.
The Council will continue to meet social and affordable housing needs in the towns, villages and rural areas of the county in a balanced way avoiding over-concentration in any one particular area. The Council in its house building programme will place an emphasis on well-designed and integrated schemes appropriate to the scale and character of the area.
The Council recognises the important role played by the voluntary sector in meeting social housing need and will support and facilitate the expansion of that role.
The Councils will seek to meet the increased demand for social and affordable housing in a number of ways as a housing authority through,
- Rental Accommodation scheme,
- Leasing initiatives
- Other schemes focusing on the private rented sector,
- the Voluntary Housing Sector
- Grant aid for the elderly and disabled,
- Incremental purchase scheme,
- Affordable housing/joint venture schemes,
- The local authorities housing building programme,
- The sale of sites scheme,
- The capital assistance scheme,
- The Homeless Action Team initiative.
POLICY
• HCF4 To provide the necessary infrastructural investment to facilitate the overall level of housing output required to meet the current and anticipated levels of demand in a planned coherent fashion.
• HCF5 To zone adequate amounts of land for housing to provide a locational choice and allow for the probability that not all zoned land will be made available for development.
• HCF6 To strive for the highest quality built environment when assessing development proposals.
• HCF7 To encourage economy and efficiency in the use of land and services.
• HCF8 To promote a high standard of architecture in the siting and design of new housing developments.
• HCF9 To encourage a variety of house types, sizes and tenure in individual schemes and to encourage variety, interest and social mix in private and social housing developments.
• HCF10 To ensure that the Council’s housing policy and objectives are linked with employment, environmental, and infrastructural policies and objectives with the aim of improving the quality of life and the attractiveness of the county’s towns, villages and open countryside.
4.3 Residential Development
The settlement hierarchy as set out in Chapter 3 outlines the range of settlements within the county. Kilkenny City and Environs has its own Development Plan which will deal in detail with residential development. The other settlements within the county’s hierarchy will be subject to Local Area Plans as appropriate.
In continuing to increase the number of houses the Council must ensure that it achieves quality in terms of neighbourhoods and homes, and choice in terms of location and the tenures available.
Quality in this context means the development of accessible, sustainable, integrated neighbourhoods which are much less car dependant and are more easily served by public transport.
Additional features of sustainable neighbourhoods include:
• compact, energy efficient and high quality urban development;
• accessibility via public transport networks and also meeting the needs of the pedestrian and cyclist; and
• provision of a good range of amenities and services within easy and safe walking distance of homes.
The provision of additional housing throughout the county offers an opportunity to deliver new development of the highest physical and environmental quality that contributes to the achievement of more sustainable communities and balanced regional development.
The sustainability of communities is dependent on a balanced pace of development. Any development must reflect its context, and associated infrastructure must be provided to ensure that a coherent sense of place and sense of community is preserved. This approach will ensure any new development will respect the scale and character of the settlement. In general, new residential development in smaller towns and villages should be of a design, layout, character and scale which fits well with the town or village involved and presents a high quality living environment. See Chapter 10 for the relevant Design Guidelines. Local Area Plans and Village Design Statements will provide detailed design guidance on new developments for specific settlements.
Over the period of the previous Development Plan the Council prepared Local Area Plans for a number of settlements within the county. During the evolution of that process, policies and objectives were devised to include linking the development of new housing with the provision of essential supporting physical and social infrastructure and services. Within each Local Area Plan, guidance is given on the achievement of high quality urban design appropriate to the particular settlement coupled with the development of a compact and sustainable settlement.
The appropriate residential density in any particular location will be determined by the following:
i) The extent to which the design and layout follows a coherent design brief resulting in a high quality residential environment;
ii) Compliance with qualitative and quantitative criteria set out in the subsequent Development Management Section;
iii) Proximity to points of access to the public transport network;
iv) Existing topographical, landscape or other features on the site, and;
v) The capacity of the infrastructure, including social and community facilities, to absorb the demands created by the development.
The choice as to the level of residential density appropriate to a given area cannot therefore be considered in simple arithmetic terms for all development sites as a single numerical value. Rather, the identification of a given density and the question of its appropriateness should be determined by spatial planning and architectural design criteria, determined by the context of a given site and the relationship to the overall proper planning and sustainable development of that centre.
It follows from this approach that there will be no set minimum or maximum density specified in the Plan. The emphasis will be on providing quality housing environments based on innovation and a design-led approach.
POLICY
• HCF11 Emphasise quality, innovation and a design-led approach in all housing development with proposals appropriate to each site and location.
4.4 Community Facilities
Community facilities are essential to the well-being and functioning of populated areas. These facilities include health clinics, hospitals, schools, churches, shopping facilities, libraries, community halls, burial grounds etc.
The primary role of the Planning Authority is to reserve sufficient lands within the settlement centres to meet likely future demands for community infrastructure. A recurring problem with respect to the provision of this infrastructure is its timely provision in conjunction with new housing. The Local Area Plans will seek to resolve this current problem by linking the provision of community facilities to increases in residential population within large residential areas by means of phasing arrangements.
The preferred option for the Planning Authority is for new and existing buildings to facilitate and provide for a range of compatible community uses. The Planning Authority will investigate opportunities for multi-purpose use to ensure that communities are best served without duplication of effort. It is important that the greatest possible use of a building is made, thereby providing community and leisure facilities close to the areas where they are needed.
POLICY
• HCF12 Reserve sites for community facilities as appropriate and to seek to remedy deficiencies in existing developed areas.
• HCF13 Link the provision of community facilities to increases in residential population through phasing arrangements in the Local Area Plans to ensure the timely provision of facilities.
• HCF14 Locate community facilities within existing settlements and where population levels warrant a particular service.
• HCF15 Liaise with community groups and to assist community initiatives subject to the availability of resources.
• HCF16 To ensure that, where practicable, community, recreational and open space facilities are clustered, with the community facilities being located in local centres or combined with school facilities as appropriate. Community facilities should be located close to or within walking distance of housing, accessible to all sectors of the community and facilitate multi-use functions through their design and layout.
4.5 Education
4.5.1 Childcare Facilities
The provision of childcare facilities is recognised as a strategic piece of social infrastructure required to enable people to participate more fully in society, particularly in accessing employment, education and social networks. National policy on childcare facilities is set out in Childcare Facilities Guidelines for Planning Authorities (2001). Government policy on childcare is to increase the number of childcare places and facilities available and to improve the quality of childcare services for the community.
New residential areas have been identified as an important location for the provision of childcare facilities and it is considered that provision should be made for purpose built, easily accessible facilities in new developments of 75 dwellings or more.
A County Childcare Strategy has been prepared by Kilkenny County Childcare Committee. This provides the over-arching policy framework for the provision of childcare in the county. Kilkenny County Council is working with Kilkenny County Childcare Committee, through its role on the CDB, to improve the quality, provision and affordability of childcare in the county.
In developing proposals for housing schemes, developers are encouraged to liaise with the County Childcare committee in advance of preparing planning applications in order to ascertain the local requirements.
POLICY
• HCF17 Facilitate the provision of childcare facilities in a sustainable manner in appropriate locations which include the following: larger new housing estates, industrial estates and business parks, in the vicinity of schools, neighbourhood and district centres and adjacent to public transport facilities.
• HCF18 To require the provision of appropriate purpose built childcare facilities in association with proposals for new residential development of more than 75 dwelling units. Where appropriate the Council will operate this requirement in a flexible manner and will encourage and facilitate cooperation between developers to jointly provide facilities, having regard to the Kilkenny County Childcare Strategy.
• HCF19 In so far as possible, the provision of childcare facilities should be adjacent to, or co-located with, other facilities required for other community use.
• HCF20 To assess, in conjunction with the Kilkenny County Childcare Committee and the County Development Board, the continuing needs around childcare and related facilities and review progress on the provision of same during the period of this Plan.
4.5.2 Primary and Post Primary Schools
Where new schools are required, they should be located close to, or within the main residential areas of the village or town so that as many children/students as possible can walk or cycle to school. The opportunity should be taken to locate the schools so that they naturally contribute to the development of a sense of community in new neighbourhoods. Where possible, these schools should be served by a dedicated and safe footpath and cycle-way network.
4.5.2.1 Dual Use of School Buildings
School and other educational premises represent a valuable resource in terms of land and buildings, which generally is only used on a partial basis. The dual use of educational facilities, where it does not conflict with the delivery of the education service (i.e. outside school hours and during school holidays) can contribute to meeting the wider needs of the community, by helping to satisfy demand for a variety of activities. The DEHLG Guidelines on Childcare Facilities recommend the use of school premises to cater for after school care and school authorities are encouraged to examine how they can help address this demand.
Where lands and buildings can be beneficially used by the community, the Council will promote such uses subject to available resources. Where new schools are proposed and indeed other community facilities, opportunities will be sought to ensure that they are designed in such a way as to facilitate dual use from the onset.
4.6 Social Capital
Social Capital may be defined as that which accrues to a person or group as a result of their active participation in the life of their communities. For example, social capital is said to be gained from neighbourliness, local area networking or volunteering. Something as simple as being known to the local shop-keeper, chemist or publican is said to have benefits for the well-being of individuals within the social capital debate.
Kilkenny local authorities are committed to the Agenda 21 process of building partnerships between local authorities and other sectors to develop and implement local policies for the development of sustainable communities. This commitment involves a wide range of public consultation in the actions taken by the local authority from plan making and policy formulation to implementation of specific projects such as playgrounds.
In 2002 the County Development Board Strategy for Economic, Social & Cultural Development 2002-2012 was prepared. The main representation for the voluntary sector is through the Community and Voluntary Forum which is the mechanism for supporting a collective voice for the community and voluntary sector. There is representation on a number of structures in the county in order to inform policy, such as the County Development Board itself and its subcommittees (including SIM – Social Inclusion Measures subgroup), Strategic Policy Committees and Expanded Area Committees.
It is through these measures that the local authorities will seek to build social capital within the county.
POLICY
• HCF21 To make Kilkenny an attractive place to live and work by building strong, inclusive communities that have a sense of place and belonging, with adequate provision of and access to services and facilities to meet the needs of the county’s growing population
• HCF22 To work with other relevant organisations, through the County Development Board, to facilitate the provision of public and social services in areas of identified need throughout the county.
• HCF23 To work with the County Development Board and its sub-structures, to advance social inclusion and development by developing the co-ordinated delivery of services and facilities in the county.
• HCF24 To promote the development of social capital by providing opportunities for interaction, participation and the co-ordinated provision of public services.
4.7 Library Service
Kilkenny County Library Service is commencing the process of creating a five-year Development Plan. It will include a review of existing services and provisions and consultation with various stakeholders, together with recommendations for future programming. The overall process will take twelve to eighteen months.
Within this new Development plan there will be an emphasis on providing equality of access for all the residents of County Kilkenny. This will consolidate the work that has been done to ensure equality for people with disabilities in access to, and participation in, the public library service. The plan will also give recognition to the fact that Kilkenny is now home to many people of different nationalities and cultures, be they refugees, asylum seekers or immigrants. It will therefore include measures such as the introduction of the World book collection in 2006 for our borrowers at the City Library.
Staff have committed to the adjustment of opening hours and services that best meets the needs of the public. The various branches are now being used as access points for public services.
The Internet has greatly improved access to information. However all sectors have not benefited in particular people in the older age cohorts. The library staff are now engaged in initiatives targeted at these sectors.
POLICY
• HCF25 To continue to improve the library service for all.
ACTIONS
• To provide a branch library in Mullinavat to service the Piltown electoral area
• To provide a new Library for the City to be located at County Hall, which will replace the existing Carnegie Library.
4.8 Health
Healthcare and medical facilities are provided by public, private and voluntary agencies within County Kilkenny. The Health Service Executive – South Eastern Area (previously South Eastern Health Board) is the primary organisation responsible for the delivery of health care and personal social services to the people of Kilkenny.
St. Luke’s Hospital and Lourdes Orthopaedic Hospital, Kilcreene are the acute hospitals in Kilkenny. The residents of the county also have access to hospitals in the surrounding counties such as Waterford Regional Hospital.
With the scale of increase in population, it is to be expected that there will be a demand for more healthcare and medical facilities within the county to cater for the resident population.
The primary role of the Planning Authority with regard to health care is to ensure that there is an adequate policy framework in place inclusive of the reservation of lands should additional services be required and that the health care facilities would be permitted subject to good planning practice. Future provision should be planned and implemented in concert with residential development, especially where this is undertaken in the context of Local Area Plans. The Planning Authority will reserve sites within development centres for health care facilities in consultation with the HSE.
POLICY
• HCF26 To facilitate the development by the Health Service Executive - South Eastern Area of a comprehensive range of health and social care services and in particular services for the elderly including the development of community, hospital, community nursing and day care services throughout the county.
4.8.1 Nursing Homes
In the light of an increasing ageing population, investment in developing a range of facilities for the elderly, including nursing units, has been facilitated under the National Development Plan. The Council recognises that nursing homes should not only be provided in established towns and villages but also in appropriate rural areas.
POLICY
• HCF27 To ensure that adequate land and services are available for the provision of all types of facilities for the elderly including nursing homes/retirement centre both public and private and the improvement, expansion and establishment of health services generally such as extended nursing care, day care and respite care.
