Since the 1960s what was the green and pleasant land of Ulster is disappearing almost by the day

I, too, am writing in sympathy with your two correspondents John Mullholland and Thomas Stewart, both of whom are concerned with the amount of bungalows springing up throughout Ulster, as a result of poor planning legislation.
By Daphne Montgomery
Published 10th May 2020, 12:46 BST
Letter to the editorLetter to the editor
Letter to the editor

(Their letters can be read here: ‘I don’t trust our politicians to halt blight of single dwellings across our landscape’, April 25 and ‘Northern Ireland has rural bungalow blight but it has bad urban planning too’ May 2).

There is now a growing concern, both nationally and internationally, at the way the present population is treating our planet, threating the environment in land, sea and air.

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Luckily the environmentalists, many of whom are of the younger generation, are addressing this growing problem, which bodes well for the future.

How right Messrs. Mulholland and Stewart are. Since the 1960s what was the green and pleasant land of Ulster is virtually disappearing by the day.

Dwellings, mostly bungalows, are built on agricultural land, trees and hedgerows have been removed: will our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren thank us, the present generation, for our lack of respect for the rural beauty of our Province? I think not.

The farming community have a reasonable expectation that members of their family involved in the daily working of the farm should be able to live on the property, but any new building should be in harmony with the landscape and if possible within an existing group of buildings. Has the time not come for our Assembly at Stormont to bring our planning laws in line with those that exist in England and which have successfully preserved the countryside.

Daphne Montgomery, Grey Abbey Estate, Co Down

Related topics:UlsterNorthern IrelandProvinceEngland