Comhar comments on Draft Guidelines for Planning Authorities on Sustainable Rural Housing

Sustainable Development The Minister’s Foreword in the draft guidelines states that the National Spatial Strategy, (NSS), supersedes the 1997 policy document, ‘Sustainable Development: A Strategy for Ireland’ in respect of rural housing policy. However no account is taken and no mention is made of the review of that document 1 , published in 2002 as part of Ireland’s preparation for the World Summit on Sustainable Development. It is clearly stated in that review that the 1997 Strategy remains a cornerstone of national sustainable development policy (p.7). In the foreword to that review the Minister states that while good progress has been made in a number of areas “there is also now growing pressure on the environment. This can be seen in the increasing volumes of waste being generated, growing energy consumption, rising greenhouse gas emissions, and threats to water quality, biodiversity and natural resources.” (p.2 of that review). There is no reference to any of these issues in the foreword to the draft rural housing guidelines, which seems extraordinary given that the Minister pointed out in conclusion that sustainable development is one of the main challenges facing us in the 21 st century.