Sustainable Residential Development in Urban Areas

60
Planning Guidelines
communal open space, provided that climatic and safety factors are
fully considered.
Residential density
7.10 Planning authorities should ensure that the cumulative effect of
setting specific minimum quantitative standards for parking, private
and communal open space, and separation distances between
dwellings does not militate against the achievement of the minimum
residential densities recommended in Chapters 5 and 6. Qualitative
standards should be the real test, and innovative design solutions
which achieve good performance standards should be considered on
their merits.
Access for all
7.11 Circulation within housing layouts, including access to individual
buildings, should have regard to the varying needs of occupants over
their lifetimes, including needs associated with mobility difficulties
and the normal frailty associated with old age. Innovative dwelling
design should be encouraged in order to facilitate the potential future
provision of adaptable and accessible accommodation24. Waste services
7.12 Adequate provision needs to be made for the storage and collection
of waste materials, with appropriate reference to the projected level of
waste generation, collection frequencies, and types and quantities of
receptacles required. If insufficient provision is made, problems of
dumping, odour and vermin are likely. Developers should therefore
ascertain the relevant local authority requirements for waste
management storage and collection at the pre-planning stage.
Houses which do not have side passages or pedestrian / vehicular
access to rear gardens, should be required to provide a covered /
screened area for the storage of wheelie bins to the front of the
house25. The Guidelines for Planning Authorities on Design
Standards for New Apartments (2007) deal in more detail with shared
facilities in multi-unit developments.
24 See also para. 1.10 on the principles of universal design
25 More detailed recommendations for communal services in apartment developments,
including waste storage areas and drying facilities, are contained in the Design
Standards for New Apartments (DoEHLG, 2007).