Sir, Monika Tersou is right (May 9th) to be concerned about our propensity to litter this extraordinarily beautiful country. What concerns this visitor to the West, however, is the littering of the countryside with inappropriately designed and sited bungalows. When this kind of development was being carried out by local people, it seemed churlish to object. The "right" to build on one's own land, although hardly for the common good, appears to be a sentiment which runs deep.
The latest trend, however, is for foreign owners to abuse the planning system to obtain planning permission on sites which clearly contravene planning guidelines. In some instances they have learnt wheezes such as placing notices in newspapers in neighbouring counties rather than the county in question. It is also difficult to dismiss talk of corrupt county planning officials when just about everyone believes it.
The planning situation in Ireland, both North and South, is deeply depressing. In the North our planners are unaccountable but vulnerable to all kinds of pressures, to put it mildly. In the South, at least in some counties, there is little or no political or administrative will to control development in the common interest. It seems almost tedious to have to rail against ribbon development and bungalows on hilltops. It is an issue which has been around for years. A countryside littered with Mars wrappers can easily be tidied up but the bungalows (and their successors) are here to stay. Yours, etc.,
Randal Park
Belfast BT9 6JJ