One-off housing 'putting strain on rural communities '

TOO many one-off houses in the countryside will place a huge strain on community facilities and infrastructure, a leading architect warned at the weekend.

Chairman of the Royal Institute of Architects in Ireland (RIAI) James Pike also said the pattern of one-off housing would not sustain thriving rural communities in the future.

He said such houses could become derelict and abandoned as the cost of servicing them would soar. The RIAI voiced further concerns about contamination of ground water by septic tanks, which were often poorly maintained.