SEPP 65 - Apartment Design Guide

IntroductionHow to use this guideThe SEPP 65 design quality principles act as animportant nexus between the provisions of SEPP 65and the more detailed design guidance containedin this Apartment Design Guide. The design qualityprinciples are restated adjacent.Design Quality Principles (SEPP 65)Principle 1: Context and Neighbourhood CharacterGood design responds and contributes to its context.Context is the key natural and built features of anarea, their relationship and the character they createwhen combined. It also includes social, economicand environmental conditions.Responding to context involves identifying thedesirable elements of an area’s existing or futurecharacter. Well designed buildings respond toand enhance the qualities and identity of the areaincluding the adjacent sites, streetscape andneighbourhood. Consideration of local context isimportant for all sites, including sites in establishedareas, those undergoing change or identified forchange.Principle 2: Built Form and ScaleGood design achieves a scale, bulk and heightappropriate to the existing or desired future characterof the street and surrounding buildings.Good design also achieves an appropriate builtform for a site and the building’s purpose in termsof building alignments, proportions, building type,articulation and the manipulation of buildingelements. Appropriate built form defines the publicdomain, contributes to the character of streetscapesand parks, including their views and vistas, andprovides internal amenity and outlook.Principle 3: DensityGood design achieves a high level of amenity forresidents and each apartment, resulting in a densityappropriate to the site and its context.Appropriate densities are consistent with thearea’s existing or projected population. Appropriatedensities can be sustained by existing or proposedinfrastructure, public transport, access to jobs,community facilities and the environment.12 DRAFT | Apartment Design Guide I September 2014