Madam, - The Government's intention to loosen planning restrictions on one-off houses may find Ireland swimming against the tide in European development.
The European Commission's website states that "the transition towards more sustainable development is a strategic goal for the European Union. This is a long-term process requiring structural changes in our economy and society, but also in the way we develop and implement policies".
The proliferation of suburban-type residential development in rural areas where there is little possibility of local employment and no access to public transport would further increase Ireland's already excessive reliance on private-car commuting, contradicting the stated intention of "transition towards more sustainable development" that is considered a "strategic goal" for the EU.
When the appointed day for the relaxation of the restrictions arrives, I anticipate a scenario similar to the 19th-century "land rush" in the US: settlers lined up with their site notices on stakes, ready for the signal to be off to stake their claims.
But the precious resource that is the rural Irish landscape is so much more limited than the vast empty plains of the US. And once it's gone, it's gone forever. - Yours, etc.,
DEBRA E. JAMES,
Cummerduff,
Co Wexford.