The traditional settlement in Kerry was far from the one-off rural house in the countryside even in the pre-Famine era, according to An Taisce, which says it is "bogged down" by planning matters in its desire to protect the environment. In a survey of settlement patterns in pre- and post-Famine Kerry in 1841 and 1894, the National Trust for Ireland found that the clustering of houses was the norm. This contrasts dramatically with the "ribbon" development of recent decades, in which the roads radiating from towns around the country have been built up. Such development has now gone out of control, an Taisce's agm in Killarney heard. Some 9,100 planning applications were made in the last two years in rural areas, towns and villages, and more than 80 per cent of these were granted. Thousands more residential units have been applied for in major towns.
