Guidelines on Residential Developments in Urban Renewal Designated Tax Incentive Areas

September, 1995 Guidelines on Residential Developments in Designated Areas

Introduction

1. Section 47(5)(c) of the Finance Act, 1994 provides that a house or apartment in an area designated by the Minister for the Environment under the Urban Renewal Act, 1986 shall not qualify for the residential tax incentives applicable under the Finance Acts unless it complies with guidelines which may from time to time be issued by the Minister for the Environment. These guidelines have been prepared with a view to ensuring that the overall standard of design, construction and mix of apartments being provided in designated areas better promote the objectives of the urban renewal tax incentives.

2. The guidelines are intended also to assist developers and designers in formulating proposals for residential development in designated areas. They are not to be regarded as a substitute for appropriate professional advice on any project but should be of assistance in briefing professional advisers engaged on such projects. It is intended that these guidelines should operate in a flexible way, having regard to the circumstances of each particular case. However, where the circumstances of individual development proposals demand a departure from any particular aspect of the guidelines, account should in considering the proposals be taken of the nature of the existing housing in the vicinity of the development.

3. These guidelines are issued without prejudice to the provisions of the Local Government (Planning and Development) Acts, 1963 to 1993, the Building Control Act, 1990, the Fire Services Act, 1981, any regulations made under those Acts and the regulations under the Housing Acts relating to private rented housing accommodation and are also without prejudice to the statutory development plan.

4. Local authorities are asked to ensure as far as possible that all developments in designated areas for which planning applications are received on or after 1st October, 1995 comply with these guidelines.

Site Planning

5. The planning and design of developments should take account of the nature and character of the area in which they are located. The completed development should make a positive contribution to the built environment and to the development of an integrated community. Necessary security arrangements should be planned in a way which avoids isolating developments from the surrounding community. The disposition of blocks of residential accommodation on the site and the layout of dwellings within each block should be designed to give optimum orientation in terms of daylighting and sunlight to habitable rooms. Regard should be had to the likely level of noise from adjoining sources in determining the optimum location and detailed design of rooms within dwellings.

6. Adequate open space should be provided within developments for the amenity of residents. Where the limitations of sites do not allow for small parks or gardens, alternative provisions should be incorporated in developments through a combination of terraced open space/roof gardens (provided to a satisfactory specification) and/or balconies with good landscaping where appropriate.

Communal Facilities and Amenities

7. Communal facilities to service the needs of residents including storage, laundry facilities, drying rooms and utility rooms, should be provided. A central drying facility will reduce the level of requirement for drying facilities in each apartment but will not eliminate it. Accordingly, space should still be made for individual washing and drying facilities within apartments. Schemes should make reasonable provision for bicycle storage within the site.

8. Facilities for the handling, storage and collection of refuse should be provided with access for frequent collection. Such facilities should be conveniently located, well ventilated and comply with all fire safety and public health requirements. As a general guide in determining storage capacity required, an output of 0.1 cubic metres of refuse per dwelling per week may be assumed.

9. Due consideration should be given to the needs of disabled people in the location, layout and design of any communal facilities.

Internal Design and Layout

10. Entrance hallways and corridors in apartment complexes should be well designed with good lighting and ventilation. Vertical and horizontal circulation should be arranged so that corridors do not extend more than 15 metres from a widened "landing" area which should include natural lighting where possible. Corridors should be widened at entrances to apartments.

11. Service ducts serving two or more apartments should as far as practicable be accessible from common circulation areas for maintenance purposes.

12. The number of apartments per lift/core in a development should not exceed a maximum of 30 per lift/core. 13. Apartment design and layout should take account of the feasibility of combining apartments at a future date. One bedroom apartments in particular should be designed and constructed in a way which allows at least two apartments to be combined at a later date.

Apartment Types and Sizes

14. It is a matter for the local authority to determine the appropriate mix of apartment units in any particular case having regard to the range of units of a particular type already available in the vicinity and the overall character and nature of all of the residential accommodation available in the immediate area.

15. In schemes consisting of 15 or more apartments, not more than 50% of the units being provided should be of the 1 bedroom type. "Studio" apartments or bed-sitting rooms should only be considered where necessary to meet particular site dimension restrictions and where there is a demonstrable need or in the case of conversion to residential use ("Living Over the Business" Scheme). In larger apartment developments (e.g. with 50 or more units) the local authority should endeavour to secure the inclusion of a certain proportion of large (e.g. over 70 sq. metres) apartments.

Floor Area and Room Dimensions

16. All 1-bedroom apartments should have a bedroom area of not less than 10.2 square metres. Apartments with more than 1 bedroom should have at least 1 double bedroom. The minimum size of a double bedroom should be 10.2 sq. metres and the minimum size of a single bedroom should be 6.5 sq. metres.

17. Rooms should have reasonable shapes and proportions and have adequate space for normal living purposes. Indicative furniture layouts should be shown on the plans.

While the room dimensions within apartments will vary depending on the circumstances in each case it is recommended that the following minimum floor areas should apply to the different spaces in an apartment to allow in particular for furniture requirements:- One bedroom apartment: Recommended Minimum Areas (two bedspaces) Living area 11 sq. metres Kitchen area 5 sq. metres Dining area 4 sq. metres Bathroom Bedroom 10.2 sq. metres Storage area 1.5 sq. metres (excluding area occupied by hot water cylinder) Circulation area

Total Floor Area 38 sq. metres Two bedroom apartment: Recommended Minimum Areas (three bedspaces) Living area 13 sq. metres Kitchen area 5 sq. metres Dining area 6 sq. metres Bathroom area Bedroom (Double) 10.2 sq. metres Bedroom (Single) 6.5 sq. metres Storage area 2.5 sq. metres (excluding area occupied by hot water cylinder) Circulation area

Total Floor Area 55 sq. metres Three bedroom apartment: Recommended Minimum Areas (5 bedspaces) Living area 15 sq. metres Kitchen area 6 sq. metres Dining area 8 sq. metres Bathroom Bedroom (Double) 10.2 sq. metres Bedroom (Single) 6.5 sq. metres Storage area 3.5 sq. metres (excluding area occupied by hot water cylinder) Circulation area

Total Floor Area 70 sq. metres

Note 1 For apartments with more than 3 bedrooms, the areas should be increased accordingly.

Note 2 Storage areas should be located and designed so as to permit ready access and use.