The Quest for Better Apartment Design
The residential market in New South Wales shows no signs of slowing down. But is the state getting the quality of accommodation it deserves? The amended State Environmental Planning Policy – Design Quality of Residential Apartment Development, as well as the Apartment Design Guide are now in operation. But what are the implications? And what else does industry need to do to ensure appropriate standards in new developments?
Amendments have recently been made to State Environmental Planning Policy 65- Design Quality of Residential Flat Buildings (SEPP 65) and includes the introduction of a new Apartment Design Guide which replaces the Residential Flat Design Code originally published in 2002. SEPP 65 has also been renamed State Environmental Planning Policy No.65 – Design Quality of Residential Apartment Development. The amended SEPP 65 came into effect on 17 July 2015 and applies to all relevant development applications and applications to modify development consents lodged after 19 June 2015. Meinhardt Planning and Plus Architects have done the hard work for you and have summarised the key changes. The amended SEPP 65 and the Apartment Design Guide provide a number of changes and additions applying to all residential apartment buildings that are three or more storeys and have four or more dwellings. It also now applies to mixed use development that includes residential accommodation and shop top housing, however does not apply to boarding houses or serviced apartments. The amended SEPP 65 applies a new set of design principles and the Apartment Design Guide explains how they are to be applied to the design of new apartments through the use of objectives and design criteria. There are now 9 design principles (previously 10), and these are:
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Context and neighbourhood character;
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Amenity;
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Built form and scale;
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Safety;
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Density;
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Housing diversity and social interaction; and
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Sustainability;
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Aesthetic.
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Landscape;
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Key Changes Apartment Size
Car Parking
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Minimum apartment sizes are now provided for studio apartments – 35m² as well as one, two and three bedroom apartments.
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Apartments with more than one bathroom are required to increase the minimum apartment size by 5m².
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Provision of four or more bedrooms will require an increase to the minimum apartment size by 12m² per bedroom.
Solar and Daylight Access
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Natural Ventilation ■■
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New requirements for solar access in mid-winter in Metropolitan Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong Local Government Areas.
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A minimum of 2 hours direct sunlight between 9am and 3pm during mid-winter is required for living rooms and private open spaces for at least 70 percent of apartments.
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In regional NSW, the minimum requirement is 3 hours direct sunlight between 9am and 3pm mid-winter for at least 70% of the apartments.
Sites located within 800m of a railway station or light rail stop in Metropolitan Sydney or sites located within 400 metres of land zoned B3 Commercial Core, B4 Mixed Use or equivalent in a nominated regional centre will either need to meet the minimum requirements as per the Roads and Maritime Services “Guide to Traffic Generating Development” or the Council’s requirements, whichever is less. At least 60% of apartments are to be naturally cross ventilated in the first nine storeys of the building. Apartments at ten storeys or greater are deemed to be cross ventilated only if any enclosure of the balconies at these levels allows adequate natural ventilation and cannot be fully enclosed.
Deep Soil ■■
Deep soil provisions now require a minimum of 7% of the total site area, rather than 25% of open space. Minimum dimensions based on site area also apply.
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Private open space and balconies;
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Natural ventilation; and
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Storage.
Council Development Controls The SEPP also commands consistency of Council Development Control Plans with the provisions of the Apartment Design Guide in the following areas: ■■
Visual privacy;
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Solar and daylight access;
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Common circulation and space;
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Apartment size and layout;
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Ceiling heights;
Should the Council Development Control Plan differ then the Apartment Design Guide prevails. In addition, if a development meets the design criteria for ceiling height, apartment size and car parking, then the development cannot be refused on these particular grounds.
For further information, please contact: Diana Brajuha Discipline Leader–Planning (NSW), Meinhardt +61 2 8252 0416 diana.brajuha@meinhardtgroup.com
Amit Julka Director, Plus Architecture +61 2 8823 7000 ajulka@plusarchitecture.com.au