North gets it right on sustainable development

THE Department of Regional Development in Northern Ireland’s most recent draft policy document (PPS 14) on sustainable development in the countryside makes for interesting reading.

According to the policy, there is now a presumption against development in the countryside. Single dwellings, unless they are to facilitate a retiring farmer or are to facilitate a farmer’s son or daughter who will continue to work on the farm, are prohibited.

Having seen the destruction the proliferation of single dwelling has wrought on the countryside, the Department of Regional Development, supported by the North’s environment minister, took this radical step to protect this priceless commodity, the countryside, for future generations. This is the essence of sustainable development.