3.7 | Rural Areas Rural areas are settlements and surrounding rural areas with a population of less than 1,500. The RSES reflects the position of the NPF, thatourcountryside “is andwillcontinue to be, a living and lived-in landscape focusing on the requirements of rural economies and rural communities, based on agriculture, forestry, tourism and rural enterprise, while at the same time avoiding ribbon and over- spill development from urban areas and protecting environmental qualities.”
The NPF and RSES make a distinction between areas under urban influence, i.e. those within the commuter catchment of cities and large towns and centres of employment, and rural areas outside these catchments where a more flexible approach to rural housing will apply. Core Strategies in development plans should identify areas under strong urban influence in the hinterlands of settlements. They will set an appropriate rural housing policy response to avoid ribbon and over-spill development from urban areas, support revitalised towns and villages, achieve sustainable compact growth targets and protect the rural resource for rural communities, including people with an established local connection to the area. RPO 27 addresses the issue of urban-generated housing to restrict the development of rural housing based on clearly defined eligibility criteria. This facilitates the needs of rural communities, whilst controlling pressures for urban-influenced housing demand. The RSES recognises the critical role of rural transport services in providing social and economic connectivity between small villages/rural areas and larger towns. Chapter 6 Connectivity outlines the objectives of the RSES for the provision of rural public transport services to meet the needs of rural communities and support the role of towns and their rural catchments.
RPO 27
Rural To support rural economies and rural communities through implementing a sustainable rural housing policy in the Region which provides a distinction between areas under urban influence and other rural areas through the implementation of National Policy Objective 19 regarding Local Authority County Development Plan Core Strategies. Local authorities shall: a. Include policies for the protection of the viability of smaller towns and rural settlements as key priority within Development plans; b. Have regard for the viability of smaller townsandrural settlements.CoreStrategies shall identify areas under urban influence and set the appropriate sustainable rural housing policy response which facilitates the provision of single housing in the countrysidebasedonthecoreconsideration of demonstrable economic, social or local exceptional need to live in a rural area and sitting, environmental and design criteria for rural housing in statutory guidelines and plans; c. Having regard for the viability of smaller towns and rural settlements, in rural areas elsewhere, facilitate the sustainable provision of single housing in the countryside based on sitting and design criteria for rural housing in statutory guidelines and plans; d. Provide for flexibility in zoning and density requirements to ensure that rural villages provide attractive easily developed options for housing.
Southern Regional Assembly | RSES
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