The pattern of one-off housing in the countryside will not sustain thriving rural communities in the future, and will, in fact "place a huge strain" on community facilities and on infrastructure, according to the Royal Institute of Architects in Ireland.
Mr James Pike, chairman of the RIAI taskforce on housing, warned of one-off houses becoming "derelict and abandoned" as the cost of servicing these houses soars in the future. The RIAI is also concerned about the impact of septic tanks on groundwater.
He called for more forward planning, and greater use of local materials and designs which suit their localities, at the opening of an exhibition on rural housing exhibition "Housing in Context" in Tralee, Co Kerry at the weekend.
Cork County Council was praised for drawing up excellent guidelines on design and sustainable building types suitable to the local environment. These are soon to be published.
Planning is one of the most heated issues in Kerry and Mr Pike's remarks come as today's monthly meeting of Kerry County Council is once again dominated by councillors' efforts to overturn planning refusals.
A total of 15 Section 140 motions, whereby councillors direct the county manager to grant permissions to dwellings, are before the meeting. Most are in sensitive scenic areas from Kells Bay to the Macgillycuddy's Reeks to Kenmare.
Housing policy must look beyond any individual proposal for a house and take into account the wider social, environmental and economic implications of housing development, Mr Pike said at the exhibition opening.
"Housing is one of the most important issues facing rural Ireland today. The RIAI believes that short term solutions to housing in rural Ireland are unsustainable." He called for sustainable developments instead of the current pattern of "dispersed one-off housing".
"This type of development places a huge strain on the ability to provide adequate infrastructure and community facilities. This will have negative consequences for rural life as the future cost of servicing these houses, whether borne by the homeowner or the taxpayer, becomes unsustainable and houses may ultimately become derelict and abandoned," Mr Pike said.
Many of the houses depended on septic tanks. But current planning law had set no standards on maintaining and testing septic tanks, once installed, and the RIAI was concerned about their impact on groundwater.
The exhibition at the Kerry County Council buildings continues until Christmas.