One off housing...

CB19Kevo

All over this island, One thing that i feel takes away from the natural scenery is houses dotted along the roads often times 10 or plus miles from an urban area..
What makes it worse is these buildings are often of bad design/finish.
(If they were finished in stone/wood cladding they might sit back).

It is a result of bad planning but it is here now, Does anyone else cringe at these buildings? and short of nuking all these structures anyone have any better ideas moving into the future?

Fizman

The houses were there first. The countryside is a celtic tiger creation.

ThinkAboutIt

Sure they are a mad bunch down there. Best stay in Dublin.

Sulla Felix

Sure how would people get to the shops if the house didn't have road access?

shopaholic01

Very hard to get planning permission without road frontage.

What are you supposed to do - leave you car on the road and walk home through the fields?

christmas2012

bad road planning they basically cut through old rural neighbourhoods..

Sky King

Yea it's called Bungalow Blight and the country is plagues with rankly finished houses from a catalogue of rank houses called Bungalow Bliss which was popular in the late 70's and early 80's.

Look out for Leylandii trees as well.

CB19Kevo

Cant really think of a suitable thread title..

It just seems crazy to have houses dotted all over in a country our size.. Its not an attack on rural life.
It would be far easier to bring services (broadband,water,etc) to villages..

hondasam

CB19Kevo wrote: »

All over this island, One thing that i feel takes away from the natural scenery is houses dotted along the roads often times 10 or plus miles from an urban area..
What makes it worse is these buildings are often of bad design/finish.
(If they were finished in stone/wood cladding they might sit back).

It is a result of bad planning but it is here now, Does anyone else cringe at these buildings? and short of nuking all these structures anyone have any better ideas moving into the future?

What are you on about ? people who live in the countryside is it?
I am one of those people who built a house in the country so no I don't cringe every time I come home.

Sky King

There's much more emphasis on village style development in the UK, to everyones benefit. Generally all you get out the sticks are farm houses. The politicians are less corrupt there though.

Ever been to Connemara? The landscape is destroyed with them... many built without planning permission. Not that PP was even hard to obtain in the day.

Where To

It's an Irish person's birthright to plant their house in the middle of nowhere, be entitled to water, sewerage, electricity, 100Mbs broadband, bin collections, low motor tax, two lane dual carriageway right to their front door, postal delivery right into the front living room, and a school, postoffice, McDonalds and a 24 hour garda station within five minutes walk.

And woe betide any government that attempts to charge them for any of this.

starbelgrade

Most councils in Ireland now have rural housing guidelines which have outlawed the type of "bungalow bliss" style houses that were built over the last 30 years.

The intention is to ensure that all new houses are either designed in a vernacular style or are of high architectural merit.

Though it may be seen a case of closing the gate after the horse has bolted, I believe that it's very much a positive thing & if it is rigorously enforced, it will mean that any newly built one-off houses will not have a detrimental effect on their natural surroundings or environment.

Sky King

But scummy bungalows ARE the vernacular!

i cant think of what else could be these days!

starbelgrade

Where To wrote: »

It's an Irish person's birthright to plant their house in the middle of nowhere, be entitled to water, sewerage, electricity, 100Mbs broadband, bin collections, low motor tax, two lane dual carriageway right to their front door, postal delivery right into the front living room, and a school, postoffice, McDonalds and a 24 hour garda station within five minutes walk.

And woe betide any government that attempts to charge them for any of this.

Your view of what people expect when they build in rural areas expect would suggest that you've never actually spent much time outside of the city.

Palytoxin

Most of these houses are in the place of former houses anyway, there's 3 houses on my road, which is a mile and a half long, but according to the 1901 census there was 18 families living on the road. The people built houses on their own land and they are within their rights to imo. I don't think they should be nuked 'cause I probably would be killed or homeless, and I definitely don't cringe every time I see my house.

up for anything

CB19Kevo wrote: »

All over this island, One thing that i feel takes away from the natural scenery is houses dotted along the roads often times 10 or plus miles from an urban area..
What makes it worse is these buildings are often of bad design/finish.
(If they were finished in stone/wood cladding they might sit back).

It is a result of bad planning but it is here now, Does anyone else cringe at these buildings? and short of nuking all these structures anyone have any better ideas moving into the future?

Did Prince Charming only wake you up with a kiss recently?

Where To

starbelgrade wrote: »

Your view of what people expect when they build in rural areas expect would suggest that you've never actually spent much time outside of the city.

Au contraire my friend, au contraire. I'm currently looking out over Malin Head, Trawbeagagh Bay from my 200 year old house, and if the weather wasn't so closed in I could see Rathlin Island and Scotland in the distance.

And do you know what else I see?
Houses. Thousands upon thousands of them. Some lived in some not. And do you know what phrase I will here at least three times before the night out is out?

'But we never get nothin' up here'
'We are forgotten about'
'I damn sure I'm not paying'

starbelgrade

Where To wrote: »

Au contraire my friend, au contraire.

You sound like a bad version of Dell Boy.

CB19Kevo

hondasam wrote: »

What are you on about ? people who live in the countryside is it?
I am one of those people who built a house in the country so no I don't cringe every time I come home.

You cant blame the people who live there its who ever authorises it is the problem and or the systems/procedures which grant planning.
I believe the ideal situation would be that no housing would come directly onto a roadway outside of urban zones..
And all rural residential structures would be built on side roads in clusters..
I believe it would vastly improve road safety as some of these one off structures are built on bends/dips or have concealed exits.

However the problem is already in place....

Where To

starbelgrade wrote: »

You sound like a bad version of Dell Boy.

Mange-tous :pac:

hondasam

CB19Kevo wrote: »

And all rural residential structures would be built on side roads in clusters..

If I wanted neighbours I would live in a town. Do you live in a city/town?

bgrizzley

People are a part of nature and cities are'nt our natural habitat. maybe move all the cities somewhere, they are taking up one-off-housing space.
you'll want to corral all the hedgehogs into one place next.

CB19Kevo

hondasam wrote: »

If I wanted neighbours I would live in a town. Do you live in a city/town?

It is not as if the next house to you would have be right up beside your property it would just be grouped on the same side road as you, - What would be the problem, it would still be country living and freedom.

And to answer your question i live in the country not far from a large town.

charlemont

I'v nothing against those houses (hope to be getting paid lots of money for designing them someday) but its the way they are all over the place not clustered together, On very narrow roads / unnamed roads of course !! No footpaths or public lighting either.

But there are obviously other issues at play here too, Cultural and privacy reasons.

FanadMan

CB19Kevo wrote: »

All over this island, One thing that i feel takes away from the natural scenery is houses dotted along the roads often times 10 or plus miles from an urban area..
What makes it worse is these buildings are often of bad design/finish.
(If they were finished in stone/wood cladding they might sit back).

It is a result of bad planning but it is here now, Does anyone else cringe at these buildings? and short of nuking all these structures anyone have any better ideas moving into the future?

It's not a result of bad planning - not everyone wants to live in an estate with hundreds of houses that look the same, not able to go outside without curtains twitching, things getting stolen from your back yard.

What I think is worse looking are all those ghost estates, some partially populated with building sites for neighbours.

Give me rural peace anytime over urban sprawl - at least in the countyside you have good neighbours

Dyr

tis my right to live next to me mammy in me own parish
You city slickers would'nt understand

etc etc

girl in the striped socks

Where To wrote: »

It's an Irish person's birthright to plant their house in the middle of nowhere, be entitled to water, sewerage, electricity, 100Mbs broadband, bin collections, low motor tax, two lane dual carriageway right to their front door, postal delivery right into the front living room, and a school, postoffice, McDonalds and a 24 hour garda station within five minutes walk.

And woe betide any government that attempts to charge them for any of this.

Yes, I get all of the above for free.

Mardy Bum

Where To wrote: »

Au contraire my friend, au contraire. I'm currently looking out over Malin Head, Trawbeagagh Bay from my 200 year old house, and if the weather wasn't so closed in I could see Rathlin Island and Scotland in the distance.

And do you know what else I see?
Houses. Thousands upon thousands of them. Some lived in some not. And do you know what phrase I will here at least three times before the night out is out?

'But we never get nothin' up here'
'We are forgotten about'
'I damn sure I'm not paying'

Brian Friel had Donegal off to a tee in Aristocrats so.

Dyr

FanadMan wrote: »

It's not a result of bad planning - not everyone wants to live in an estate with hundreds of houses that look the same, not able to go outside without curtains twitching, things getting stolen from your back yard.

What I think is worse looking are all those ghost estates, some partially populated with building sites for neighbours.

Give me rural peace anytime over urban sprawl - at least in the countyside you have good neighbours

thats grand, you're right to get away from it all. And as soon as we cut your electrics, water, sewage, phone lines and road maintenance you will be away from it all.

enjoy!

FanadMan

Bambi wrote: »

thats grand, you're right to get away from it all. And as soon as we cut your electrics, water, sewage, phone lines and road maintenance you will be away from it all.

enjoy!

And why would you want to cut off my electrics, water, sewage, phone lines and road maintenance? Do people where you live cut these things off for no reason?

Nothingbetter2d

CB19Kevo wrote: »

All over this island, One thing that i feel takes away from the natural scenery is houses dotted along the roads often times 10 or plus miles from an urban area..
What makes it worse is these buildings are often of bad design/finish.
(If they were finished in stone/wood cladding they might sit back).

It is a result of bad planning but it is here now, Does anyone else cringe at these buildings? and short of nuking all these structures anyone have any better ideas moving into the future?

maybe some people just don't want to live in a poorly built boom era shoebox that costs way more than it's worth, surrounded by the next generation's ghetto

mikemac1

Where To wrote: »

It's an Irish person's birthright to plant their house in the middle of nowhere, be entitled to water, sewerage, electricity, 100Mbs broadband, bin collections, low motor tax, two lane dual carriageway right to their front door, postal delivery right into the front living room, and a school, postoffice, McDonalds and a 24 hour garda station within five minutes walk.

And woe betide any government that attempts to charge them for any of this.

You either pay for a group scheme or you paid for your own well. People were paying for water already while some Ireland now whinges over water charges.

You install your own septic tank and now they want you to pay to get it inspected. Do people in towns pay extra to the council?

When you build a house you have to pay ESB Networks to connect you, this will be least 2,000 euro and probably more. And you then pay a higher rate

No 100mb broadband as there is no cable. You either pay Eircom or you go satellite, I don't know a lot about the technical aspects of satellite

Bin collections, rural people were paying this for years while Joe Higgins and his salt of da earth supporters were whinging when DCC decided to charge. Why did they feel they didn't have to pay when councils around Ireland were already charging and outsourcing to private companies.

Motor tax is the same rates for everyone.

No dual carragieway but there is a bus service. It operates one day a week to bring the pensioners to town as your post office is closed. And the garda station closed 10 years ago
No Luas, Dart or Bus Éireann, just one bus a week

And Where To, I'm paying for your streetlights! :pac:

galwayrush

Bambi wrote: »

thats grand, you're right to get away from it all. And as soon as we cut your electrics, water, sewage, phone lines and road maintenance you will be away from it all.

enjoy!

Give me 700 K for mine and you can cut off whatever you like from it.:p

Where To

mikemac1 wrote: »

And Where To, I'm paying for your streetlights! :pac:

Unless you are claiming ownership of the Moon I highly doubt that :pac:

eth0

charlemont wrote: »

On very narrow roads / unnamed roads of course !! No footpaths or public lighting either.

Nothing wrong with that, and public lighting is a fcuking nuisance. Only there to give Joe Duffy callers a false sense of security while all it really does is save the scumbags the trouble of carrying a flashlight. Terrible colour light off them things too, it's almost worth boarding the windows to keep it out.

I love a good one-off house, not to be mistaken from ould Celtic Tiger slap-up for 799,000e built of nothing but cavity blocks with a massive slab of tarmac around it. Feck 'services' too, there is always satellite internet and a diesel generator + used chip oil if needs be.

ChippingSodbury

FanadMan wrote: »

It's not a result of bad planning - not everyone wants to live in an estate with hundreds of houses that look the same, not able to go outside without curtains twitching, things getting stolen from your back yard.

What I think is worse looking are all those ghost estates, some partially populated with building sites for neighbours.

Give me rural peace anytime over urban sprawl - at least in the countyside you have good neighbours

In fairness FanadMan, given your username, I'm sure you're fairly familiar with Gaoth Dobhair. When you look down on the valley, it looks like a giant took a fistful of lego houses and flung them out. There is no "village/ town centre" either which, in my opinion, is a real pity. I think it's a real advert for the need for good planning.
I think if people grow up in an urban area, they just don't get the idea of country living: good (and some bad) neighbours but at least you know who they are, a sense of community, peace and quiet etc.

breadmonster

Well i think estates with all the same houses should never been allowed to happen. Disgusting looking 3 bed semis all over the place. developers should never have been allowed build these things.

Take a random street in ireland (no offence if you live there)

http://maps.google.ie/maps?hl=en&ll=53.288743,-8.986305&spn=0.000051,0.038409&t=m&z=15&layer=c&cbll=53.288743,-8.986305&panoid=Y8O1wBg4hKBzDGJBTy9Y-g&cbp=12,38.91,,0,4.53

and then a random street in sydney - try find any house that looks the same as another one (have a drive around courtesy of google maps).
Its actually possible to build one off housing in a planned way imagine that!!

http://maps.google.ie/maps?q=sydney&hl=en&ll=-33.92196,151.235132&spn=0.008867,0.019205&sll=53.401034,-8.307638&sspn=6.475044,19.665527&hnear=Sydney+New+South+Wales,+Australia&t=m&z=16&layer=c&cbll=-33.921929,151.234855&panoid=RnE03bpg4Ve5luhEO6FJpA&cbp=12,237.9,,0,-2.3

oppenheimer1

hondasam wrote: »

If I wanted neighbours I would live in a town. Do you live in a city/town?

Do you want schools, gardai, hospitals, broadband, water, electricity, roads. I take it you mustn't have wanted those when you decided not to live in a town and are happy with the limited service provided to you.

Certainly you wouldn't complain about them.

hondasam

breadmonster wrote: »

Well i think estates with all the same houses should never been allowed to happen. Disgusting looking 3 bed semis all over the place. developers should never have been allowed build these things.

Take a random street in ireland (no offence if you live there)

http://maps.google.ie/maps?hl=en&ll=53.288743,-8.986305&spn=0.000051,0.038409&t=m&z=15&layer=c&cbll=53.288743,-8.986305&panoid=Y8O1wBg4hKBzDGJBTy9Y-g&cbp=12,38.91,,0,4.53

and then a random street in sydney - try find any house that looks the same as another one (have a drive around courtesy of google maps).
Its actually possible to build one off housing in a planned way imagine that!!

http://maps.google.ie/maps?q=sydney&hl=en&ll=-33.92196,151.235132&spn=0.008867,0.019205&sll=53.401034,-8.307638&sspn=6.475044,19.665527&hnear=Sydney+New+South+Wales,+Australia&t=m&z=16&layer=c&cbll=-33.921929,151.234855&panoid=RnE03bpg4Ve5luhEO6FJpA&cbp=12,237.9,,0,-2.3

Galway looks better imo.

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

Do you want schools, gardai, hospitals, broadband, water, electricity, roads. I take it you mustn't have wanted those when you decided not to live in a town and are happy with the limited service provided to you.

Certainly you wouldn't complain about them.

I have all these things only I have to drive to them as do people who live in towns. I have water, electricity, roads and broadband.

starbelgrade

breadmonster wrote: »

Well i think estates with all the same houses should never been allowed to happen. Disgusting looking 3 bed semis all over the place. developers should never have been allowed build these things.

Take a random street in ireland (no offence if you live there)

http://maps.google.ie/maps?hl=en&ll=53.288743,-8.986305&spn=0.000051,0.038409&t=m&z=15&layer=c&cbll=53.288743,-8.986305&panoid=Y8O1wBg4hKBzDGJBTy9Y-g&cbp=12,38.91,,0,4.53

and then a random street in sydney - try find any house that looks the same as another one (have a drive around courtesy of google maps).
Its actually possible to build one off housing in a planned way imagine that!!

http://maps.google.ie/maps?q=sydney&hl=en&ll=-33.92196,151.235132&spn=0.008867,0.019205&sll=53.401034,-8.307638&sspn=6.475044,19.665527&hnear=Sydney+New+South+Wales,+Australia&t=m&z=16&layer=c&cbll=-33.921929,151.234855&panoid=RnE03bpg4Ve5luhEO6FJpA&cbp=12,237.9,,0,-2.3

While I would agree that many housing estates in Ireland are devoid of any architectural merit, I have serious misgivings about much of the architecture in Sydney, which is for a large part, a badly mixed, mish-mash of architectural styles from different eras, styles and places.

The streetview you linked here shows exactly that - a random mix of rather ugly low-rise houses with no outstanding qualities or merits of any description. The only thing which really saves that area is the liberal use of street landscaping.

Also, if you look properly, there are several houses on that street which are the exact same, complete with lovely faux columns to the front.

eth0

starbelgrade wrote: »

Also, if you look properly, there are several houses on that street which are the exact same, complete with lovely faux columns to the front.

Not as lovely as a faux dormer though

breadmonster

hondasam wrote: »

Galway looks better imo.

Your missing the point im trying to make. Not everybody wants to live in the same house as there neighbours. why have an estate with 50 of the same houses.

hondasam

breadmonster wrote: »

Your missing the point im trying to make. Not everybody wants to live in the same house as there neighbours. why have an estate with 50 of the same houses.

I think 50 of the same houses in an estate looks better than 50 random houses.

Your link was an estate compared to one street. it's not the same.

I think the OZ houses are terrible in that link shabby and run down.

breadmonster

hondasam wrote: »

I think 50 of the same houses in an estate looks better than 50 random houses.

Your link was an estate compared to one street. it's not the same.

I think the OZ houses are terrible in that link shabby and run down.

ok yes the oz link is a pretty crap area but my point was that you can have vareity in different houses. i guess i have a thing about estates in general maybe they should have been just planned streets instead with plots for single houses on each of them.

FanadMan

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

Do you want schools, gardai, hospitals, broadband, water, electricity, roads. I take it you mustn't have wanted those when you decided not to live in a town and are happy with the limited service provided to you.

Certainly you wouldn't complain about them.

Hold on - I grew up in an area where I had to travel 10 mins by bus to school, I turned the tap and water came out (and beautiful clean water not like the recycled piss you get in towns and cities), I flick a switch and guess what....the light comes on! As for the gardai, wouldn't matter if they lived next door to me, you phone them anywhere in Ireland and it takes nearly an hour for them to arrive. Only downside to your arguement is the hospital - 25 miles away. But having lived in Dublin and a few cities outside Ireland, the traffic can make a 5 minute drive the same as me driving to my nearest hospital.

So, in the end....I live in an area with nice law-abiding neighbours, clean air, freedom to let a child outside without having to put a tracker on them, freedom to let a dog roam free without worry. Have miles of walks without having to side-step to avoid someone. As for the houses, at least each one in my area has a personality of their own unlike the ugly replicants you see in towns and cities.

ChippingSodbury wrote: »

In fairness FanadMan, given your username, I'm sure you're fairly familiar with Gaoth Dobhair. When you look down on the valley, it looks like a giant took a fistful of lego houses and flung them out. There is no "village/ town centre" either which, in my opinion, is a real pity. I think it's a real advert for the need for good planning.
I think if people grow up in an urban area, they just don't get the idea of country living: good (and some bad) neighbours but at least you know who they are, a sense of community, peace and quiet etc.

Yeah, do agree with you about Gaoth Dobhair - it is freaky looking at it from the hills. It's almost like a town without a street lol. But it was always going to be a densely populated area with children wanting to build houses near the parents.

But as you said, there is a sense of community there. I bet if there was a break-in there, all the neighbours would be on the look out for weeks after. Def not the same in a city where you could spend years in an estate without even speaking to you next door neighbour.

As it is, I'm happy to drive 15 minutes to get to an ATM or decent shop. If things go the way I hope, I'll never leave here and at least I'll be happy In saying that, I didn't grow up in an estate - I'm sure that people that have love where they are

kowloon

Where To wrote: »

It's an Irish person's birthright to plant their house in the middle of nowhere, be entitled to water, sewerage, electricity, 100Mbs broadband, bin collections, low motor tax, two lane dual carriageway right to their front door, postal delivery right into the front living room, and a school, postoffice, McDonalds and a 24 hour garda station within five minutes walk.

And woe betide any government that attempts to charge them for any of this.

My folks have the one highlighted in bold. The post is four days a week, so you can have that too, although it only makes it to the mailbox or the front garden. They can't get broadband. Bin collections had to be paid for before bin charges came in. The locals fill the dangerous potholes themselves, there's been more than one crash because of them. There's a school in the nearest town. No Post Office, McDonalds or Garda Station.

Water and sewerage had to be installed by them at great expense, the government plan to charge them to have this inspected.

FanadMan

kowloon wrote: »

No Post Office, McDonalds or Garda Station.

Glad I don't live in a town or city - McD food is a waste of cooking oil and gas!

Jester252

Gotta say that I love being on a private water scheme.
Before when Ireland got its one hot week and the water level drop the water was cut off to feed the city. Now it stays on as I'm paying for it. Gotta love that

flas

Do the posters here from the countryside really think people who grew up in estates dont know who there neighbours are and that there was no sense of community in them,etc?i grew up in an estate in a town and i knew every single one of my neighbours,could stay out late playing hide and seek or footbball without fear of anything bad happening,if any of the neighbours wanted anything in shops they would call us over and give us the money to run to the shop for them and give us money for sweets for doing so...nearly everyone i was in school with grew up in a simular estate and knew all their neighbours!all the aminities any child could ask for were within walking distance from us,it was great!my girlfriend grew up in the countryside,which she thought was great but reckins after living in both now she could never go back to being miles from everything!another thing she couldnt get her head around is the relationship we have with our neighbours,the ones in the countryside are very clannish she reckons!

First world problems.. I want to enjoy the countryside for it's scenery once a year on my drive to the Galway Races but there's people living in houses everywhere.

Oh what a shlt country.

Chinasea