The Irish Times

The shocking statistics from last year are already well known: of the record total output of 50,000 new homes throughout the State, 36 per cent were single houses in the countryside. And how the Government can reconcile what is happening on the ground with its declared commitment to "sustainable development" is a mystery. The all-time record 18,000 "one-off" houses built in rural areas last year consumed 2,700 hectares (6,480 acres) of agricultural land and resulted in the loss of an estimated 540 kilometres (337 miles) of natural hedgerows to create new boundaries, set back from the roadway to provide safer sightlines and turning radii for motorists.