Sustainable Residential Development in Urban Areas

Minister’s Foreword
All built developments, from the small to the
large, make an impact on their surroundings.
The quality of these developments – and of
residential developments in particular – have
long-term impacts, both on the communities
they house and on the surrounding
neighbourhoods. New developments are far more than simply
bricks and mortar. Where they are, how well designed and built
they are and how well they knit into the fabric of existing or new
communities, are factors which can, in a very real way, colour the
lives of people on a daily basis and for future generations.
These statutory guidelines will assist planning authorities,
developers, architects and designers in delivering quality
residential development. They update and revise the 1999
Guidelines for Planning Authorities on Residential Density and
build upon the extensive experience gained over recent years -
reflecting the changing economic, social and environmental
patterns around the country. Importantly, specific guidance is
provided for the first time on residential development for smaller
towns and villages, acknowledging that different solutions are
required to meet different scales and patterns of development.
The objective is to produce high quality – and crucially –
sustainable developments:
• quality homes and neighbourhoods,
• places where people actually want to live, to work and to
raise families, and
• places that work – and will continue to work - and not just
for us, but for our children and for our children’s children.
That’s what sustainability is all about; the integration of schools,
community facilities, employment, transport and amenities with
the housing development process in a timely, cost-effective way.
Planning Guidelines