Minister for the Environment Dick Roche has denied that new statutory guidelines for "sustainable rural housing" would open the floodgates for suburbanising the Irish countryside.
"Planning for the provision of rural housing must recognise the strong and continuing tradition of people living in rural areas and should promote and support vibrant rural communities," he said.
According to the guidelines, "people who are part of the rural community should be facilitated by the planning system in all rural areas" - even in areas under strong urban-based pressures.
Denying that the new policy contravened the principles of sustainable development, Mr Roche said it was important - particularly in areas suffering from population decline - to have more people living in the countryside.
A dispersed settlement pattern had been "part and parcel" of the Irish tradition for generations, with the number of one-off houses permitted in Northern Ireland alone exceeding the total for Britain.
The guidelines are a final version of a draft published in March 2004 and incorporate some changes reflecting suggestions made by 105 submissions from organisations and individuals.
Though the broad thrust of the draft guidelines remains unchanged, some additional qualifying categories have been introduced, such as returned emigrants seeking to build houses in their home areas.
But the guidelines reaffirm that no development should be permitted on national road frontages and says local authorities must be satisfied that the integrity of Special Areas of Conservation are protected.
Dealing with holiday homes, a "clustering" approach is favoured rather than allowing them to proliferate in coastal and lakeside areas, with knock-on effects on the affordability of housing for local people.
According to Mr Roche, the guidelines represent "a presumption in favour of quality one-off housing for rural communities", subject to normal requirements for road safety and proper sewage treatment.
The Minister was "very aware" of the dangers of polluting groundwater supplies and he said it was "critical" that local authorities identify sensitive areas in their development plans as well as areas prone to flooding.
"I don't want ribbon development to occur," Mr Roche said. He also wanted to see local authorities adopting a "less prescriptive" approach to the design of new houses in the countryside.
All local authorities are required to review or change their development plans to ensure that their policies on rural settlement are consistent with the policies set out in the guidelines.
The Department of the Environment will be holding a series of regional seminars for planners on how to implement the guidelines, which are available for download from its website - www.environ.ie
