Sir, - I find myself in agreement with Marian Harkin (August 15th) on several points. Leaving aside visual issues, housing in the countryside has many benefits. It can sustain the parish, the basic unit of rural society, and provide a wonderful environment for children to grow up in. It may also be cheaper initially than urban housing. And as Michael Viney is showing us once more in his new television series, a degree of self-sufficiency is possible on an acre. However, if new houses are built outside the towns and villages, most journeys to work, shops, schools or recreation will be by car and conversely the servicing of these houses will create further journeys. This will have implications which should be recognised.
If local and national politicians (and I hope Marian Harkin will soon join their ranks) feel that building substantial amounts of housing sporadically in rural areas is a worthwhile objective, then it is incumbent on them to investigate its consequences, both good and bad. And if it is to be continued, they must set out the other actions necessary to sustain it, particularly in the areas of transport, healthcare, waste water, tourism, education and shopping.
Building 16,000-18,000 houses each year outside towns and villages is not a solution; it's a problem. Understanding the full nature of this problem will be very difficult because it has complex socio-economic roots and it is certainly not susceptible to quick-fix solutions delivered from high or low.
Until we make up our own minds nationally about why it is happening, and the likely consequences, it will be difficult to prepare a credible National Spatial Strategy, which I believe is the best hope for promoting the balanced population distribution which Ms Harkin desires.
We should now set up a national forum to debate the issue and provide a table around which all the interested parties - farmers, occupiers, politicians, environmentalists, administrators, planners -. can gather together to create a consensus regarding a phenomenon which may be heading out of control.- Yours, etc.,
Fergal MacCabe, Fitzwilliam Square, Dublin 2.