Rural development justification and locational need

The countryside is a unique resource for the city council area. However, inappropriate development in the countryside has the potential to create significant environmental, financial and social costs. The particular context of the countryside within the Belfast City Council area is acknowledged, where the distance to settlement is generally small and, therefore, the majority of the needs of the rural community can be facilitated within the designated settlement boundaries. In this regard, clear justification (such as a statement and supporting documentation) of any locational need (i.e. requirement for a countryside location) or site-specific need (i.e. requirement for a particular site) must be provided for development proposals outside settlement boundaries and where this is demonstrated and accepted, measures must be taken to ensure that there is no significant detrimental impact on rural amenity and environmental quality.