Development plan · Dublin City Council
Dublin City Development Plan 2022–2028 – Volume 1: Written Statement (as varied by Variations Nos. 1–11)
The council's development plan written statement: its strategy, policies, objectives and development standards.
Dublin City Council · 2022–2028 · 696 pages
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- Development Standards | Chapter 15 591 factors, to locate the open space on site, or where it is considered that, having regard to existing provision in the vicinity, the needs of the population would be better served by the provision of a new park in the area (e.g. a neighbourhood park or pocket park) or the upgrading of an existing park. In these cases, financial contributions may be proposed towards the provision and enhancement of open space and landscape in the locality, as set out in the City Council Parks Programme, in fulfilment of this objective. Financial contributions in lieu of public open space will only be applicable in schemes of 9 or more units. The details on the value of the contribution in lieu and other exemptions are set out in the Dublin City Section 48 Development Contribution Scheme and any future amendments thereof. 15.8.8 Play Infrastructure Applications which include the provision of public open space shall be subject to a requirement to provide for appropriate playground facilities. In schemes of 25 or more units, small play spaces of 85-100 sq. m. are considered suitable for toddlers and children up to the age of six, with suitable play equipment, seating for parents/ guardians, and within sight of the apartment building. For larger schemes of 100 or more apartments, play areas of 200-400 sq. m for older children and young teenagers should also be provided in addition. The Dublin City Play Strategy ‘Pollinating Play!’ 2021 – 2025 will provide overall guidance for the development of playgrounds and play spaces in the city. It is the policy of Dublin City Council to provide accessible and inclusive play equipment and play opportunities for children and young people of all ages. The following Principles for Designing Successful Play Spaces shall be applied: ▪ Bespoke ▪ Well-located ▪ Use natural elements ▪ Wide range of play experiences provided ▪ Accessible to both people with and without disabilities ▪ Meets community needs ▪ Allows children of different ages to play together ▪ Builds in opportunities to experience risk and challenge ▪ Sustainable and appropriately maintained ▪ Allows for change and evolution ▪ Invest in and prioritise universal design to support accessible and inclusive opportunities to play with regard to input from relevant representative organisations ▪ Increase and enhance passive surveillance.
- Development Standards | Chapter 15 592 In deciding on the location of appropriate play areas, regard should be had to the needs of all age groups. Play spaces for small children, i.e. under five years old, should be provided close to residential dwellings, i.e. safe from traffic and other hazards, overlooked informally from dwellings or frequented roads or footpaths, but should be located so that disruption is minimised. These spaces should have sunny and shady parts and be equipped with natural play elements such as logs/tree stumps/sand/water, etc., and with apparatus for swinging, climbing and rocking. Play/recreational spaces and facilities for older children and teenagers, e.g. multi-use games areas, teenage shelters, skate parks, etc. should be available either within the scheme or close by, such as in a local square or green space where good linkages with the residential development can be created and where meaningful community interaction can take place. Facilities should also be provided for teens and older people where they can congregate while also respecting others. This can be achieved by providing such facilities in well trafficked, central areas of the scheme/ neighbourhood rather than trying to hide them (For further guidance see Urban Design Manual, 2009). Formal and informal games/recreational areas for parents and other adults should also be integrated within schemes. One of the key aims for any development should be the bringing together of different groups on neutral territory where all can intermingle safely and securely. Play/recreational spaces should be attractive, safe and engaging. Pedestrianisation in the vicinity of such areas should be maximised, and traffic should be eliminated or trafficcalming measures put in place. In addition, these spaces should be made identifiable by appropriate ‘play’ signage and there should be a network of routes linking homes with these spaces which enable children to travel freely around by foot, bicycle, skates or other wheeled play vehicles. 15.8.9 Naming of Residential Estates All new street and development names shall reflect local historical, heritage or cultural associations and the basic generic description (i.e., Court, Quay, Road, etc.) must be appropriate. The planning authority will approve the naming of residential developments in order to avoid confusion with similar names in other locations. Developers shall agree a scheme’s name, which shall be in the Irish language, with the planning authority, prior to commencement of development, and the name selected shall be installed on site. Internal and external street/road signage must be in both the Irish and English languages, or, for newly named developments, in Irish only. All unit numbers must be visible.
- Development Standards | Chapter 15 593 15.8.10 Gated Communities Dublin City Council will resist gated communities within the city and there is a general presumption against same in order to promote permeability and accessibility in the urban area. Where a gated scheme is proposed, the applicant must demonstrate the operational management strategy for the development and clearly set out the functionality of the gate mechanism proposed. The ongoing management and maintenance of the development will need to be demonstrated to avoid any situations where the mechanism malfunctions. The applicant will also be required to demonstrate how the gate will function in respect of traffic movements and the potential wait time on the public road. Sufficient car parking will also need to be provided in order to prevent overspill car parking onto the public road. 15.8.11 Management Companies/Taking in Charge Taking in charge refers to the taking over of the running/maintenance/ownership by a local authority of lands that were developed privately but which have public access and a wider public benefit in their provision. The local authority thereafter looks after these areas for the public. Examples are residential estate roads and public parks. Details of the requirements for taking in charge are provided in Appendix 5 of the plan. Please also refer to Policy SI26 in relation to taking in charge of public and private drainage infrastructure in accordance with the standards set out within the Greater Dublin Regional Code of Practice for Drainage Works. 15.8.12 Financial Securities To ensure the satisfactory completion of development, a condition may be attached to a planning permission requiring adequate security to be given until the development has been satisfactorily completed. Types of securities include a cash deposit, an insurance bond or such other liquid asset as may be agreed between a developer and the planning authority. The security may be sequestered in part or in its entirety where the development has not been satisfactorily completed. Dublin City Council will determine the amount of such financial security, in accordance with Development Management Guidelines for Planning Authorities (DEHLG, 2007) and Circular Letter PL11/2013, and any successor guidance. 15.9 Apartment Standards Apartment schemes make up the majority of the new housing stock in Dublin City. In this respect, it is, therefore, essential that high quality, attractive and liveable apartment units are provided. All apartment developments should make a positive contribution to the local area in terms of public open space and / or public realm improvements and should provide long term living environments for future residents through quality communal amenity spaces and attractive and sustainable internal units.
- Development Standards | Chapter 15 594 The Sustainable Urban Housing: Design Standards for New Apartments (December 2020) available at the following link: http://www.housing.old.gov.ie/sites/default/files/publications/files/december_2020_- _design_standards_for_new_apartments.pdf or any other future amendment thereof, sets out specific planning policy requirements (SPPR) for apartment developments. These Section 28 guidelines should be referenced as part of any planning application for apartment developments. A summary of these SPPR’s together with additional requirements and standards for apartment developments are set out below. 15.9.1 Unit Mix Specific Planning Policy Requirement 1 states that housing developments may include up to 50% one bedroom or studio type units (with no more than 20-25% of the total proposed development as studios) and there shall be no minimum requirement for apartments with three or more bedrooms unless specified as a result of a Housing Need and Demand Assessment (HNDA) carried out by the Planning Authority as part of the development plan process. As part of the preparatory research for this Plan, alongside the preparation of a HNDA for the city, two sub areas were identified for sub-city level HNDA analysis; (i) the Liberties and (ii) the North Inner City. These areas were selected due to three main factors that differentiates them in relation to this particular issue: (i) these areas have higher volumes of smaller housing stock (both historic and twentieth century); (ii) they have significant regeneration opportunity lands and (iii) they have in recent years experienced a high proportion of Strategic Housing Development applications, which have been dominated by BTR and a preponderance of smaller units. The outcome of these two local HNDAs indicates increased demand for two and three person households and declining demand regarding single person households. (Section 2.4.1 of Appendix 1, Annex 3 refers.) Taking into account (i) the modelled changing demand over the lifetime of the Plan which indicates a declining demand for one bed units, and (ii) the current pattern of applications for development that have high proportions of studio and one bed units and no three bed units; it is considered appropriate that a policy response is made to address this issue within these locations. The following requirement for unit mix are, therefore, required in these two sub-city areas; (i) the Liberties and (ii) the North Inner City. SPPR1 is applicable to the remainder of the Dublin City Council administrative area:
- Development Standards | Chapter 15 595 To require planning applications that include residential accommodation of 15 residential units for more in the North Inner City and Liberties Sub-City Areas (as per Figure 1.2 as part of Appendix 01, Annex 3) include the following mix of units: • A minimum of 15% three or more bedroom units. • A maximum of 25%-30% one bedroom / studio units. Council Part 8 or Part 10 residential schemes may propose a different mix having regard to the specific needs of the Housing & Community Services Department. Standards may be relaxed for other social housing needs and/or where there is a verified need for a particular form of housing, for example for older people, subject to the adjudication of the Housing & Community Services Department. SPPR 2 provides some flexibility in terms of unit mix for building refurbishment schemes on sites of any size, urban infill schemes on sites up to 0.25 ha, schemes up to 9 units and for schemes between 10 and 49 units. The planning authority will assess each application having regard to SPPR 2 on a case by case basis. For further details, please refer to The Sustainable Urban Housing: Design Standards for New Apartments (December 2020) guidelines. 15.9.2 Unit Size / Layout Specific Planning Policy Requirement 3 sets out the minimum floor areas for apartments. The minimum standards for apartments, as set out in the guidelines are as follows: Table 15-5: Minimum Floor Area Requirements for Apartments Unit Type Bedspace Floor Area Requirement (min) Studio 1 bedspace 37 sq. m. 1 bed 2 bedspaces 45 sq. m. 2 bed 4 bedspaces 73 sq. m. 3 bed 5 bedspaces 90 sq. m. The introduction of a 2 bedroom, 3 person unit may be considered within a scheme to satisfy specialist housing for Part V social housing requirement or to facilitate appropriate accommodation for older people and care assistance. These units will be restricted to a maximum of 10% of the overall unit mix. The 2 bedroom, 3 person unit will only be considered as part of specialist housing provision as specified above and will not be considered as standard residential accommodation.
- Development Standards | Chapter 15 596 The majority of all apartments in any proposed scheme of 10 or more apartments shall exceed the minimum floor area standard for any combination of the relevant 1, 2 or 3 bedroom unit types, by a minimum of 10% (any studio apartments must be included in the total, but are not included as units that exceed the minimum by at least 10%). In accordance with the Housing Options for an Ageing Population Policy Statement 2019, 50% of the apartments that are in excess of the minimum sizes should be designed in accordance with the guidance set out in Universal Design Guidelines for Homes in Ireland 2015 to ensure that they are suitable for older people, mobility impaired people, people living with dementia and people with disabilities. Flexibility and adaptability are key considerations in the design of residential units. The concept of habitable rooms as distinct from bedrooms is important as it allows a residential unit to adapt to the needs of its residents over time (with the exception of the studio unit). A habitable room of suitable size and design can change from a dining room to a bedroom, to a study as needs change. In particular, the second/ third bedroom should be flexible and the residential unit made attractive to households at different lifecycle stages. Furthermore, layouts and dimensions should allow for the delivery of furniture and facilitate home working where feasible. For larger dwellings, the provision of one main living room separate from a combined kitchen/dining area should be considered. The needs of children must be considered in the design of the unit and this includes play areas, storage for play equipment, bathrooms big enough to bath a child, study areas, etc. 15.9.3 Dual Aspect A dual aspect dwelling is defined as one with openable windows on two external walls, which may be either on opposite sides of a dwelling or on adjacent sides of a dwelling where the external walls of a dwelling wrap around the corner of a building. The provision of a bay window does not constitute dual aspect. Dual aspect units significantly enhance the residential amenity obtained in a unit providing for better daylight and sunlight penetration and cross ventilation. Achieving dual aspect in living rooms is the most preferable unit configuration, allowing for high amenity value in the predominant living space. Specific Planning Policy Requirement 4 requires a minimum of 33% dual aspect units in central and / or accessible urban locations and 50% of units in suburban and / or intermediate locations. Dublin City Council will encourage all developments to meet or exceed 50% dual aspect within the development unless specific site characteristics dictate that a lower percentage may be appropriate.
- Development Standards | Chapter 15 597 In prime city centre locations, adjoining or adjacent to high quality, high frequency public transport, 33% dual aspect may be accepted in locations where there are specific site constraints such as tight urban infill sites up to 0.25ha or where there is a need to maintain a strong street frontage. In the outer city (beyond the canal ring) and within the SDRA’s, schemes with a minimum of 33% dual aspects units will only be considered in exceptional circumstances. Where single aspect is proposed, the number of south facing units should be maximised. East and west facing units are also considered acceptable. The living spaces in these units should be situated with the most preferable orientation for maximum access to direct sunlight. North facing units will only be considered where they face an area of high amenity value such as a public park, water body or another significant view of interest. For clarity, north facing units are units which predominantly face north (i.e. over 50% of the façade). North east and north west units are defined as units that fall within a 45 degree angle of due north. This unit configuration will be considered in limited circumstances on a case by case basis. The following example of unit configuration is considered dual aspect and can contribute toward the SPPR percentage requirement. Similar examples that clearly provide openable windows to two elevations will also be considered.
- Development Standards | Chapter 15 598 Figure 15.2: Example of Dual Aspect Residential Unit
- Development Standards | Chapter 15 599 Unit configurations that do not qualify as dual aspect and will not be considered to contribute to the SPPR percentage requirement include: Figure 15.3: Residential Unit that Does Not Qualify as Dual Aspect - Example 1 Figure 15.4: Residential Unit that Does Not Qualify as Dual Aspect - Example 2
- Development Standards | Chapter 15 600 15.9.4 Floor to Ceiling Height SPPR 5 of the Sustainable Urban Housing: Design Standards for New Apartments (2020) set out the requirements for minimum floor to ceiling heights. A minimum floor to ceiling height of 2.7m for ground floor residential units and a minimum of 2.4m in upper floor shall be provided. Where commercial units are proposed or where flexibility for adaptation to alternative uses is required at ground floor level, a floor to ceiling height of 3.5m to 4m shall be applied. This will be assessed on a case by case basis. See Section 3.20 to 3.25 of the Sustainable Urban Housing: Design Standards for New Apartments (2020) for details. 15.9.5 Lift, Stair Cores and Entrance Lobbies Specific Planning Policy Requirement 6 as set out in the Sustainable Urban Housing: Design Standards for New Apartments (2020) specifies that a maximum of 12 apartment per core may be provided. The maximum provision may be relaxed for refurbishment or infill sites of 0.25ha on a case by case basis. See Section 3.26 to 3.34 of the Sustainable Urban Housing: Design Standards for New Apartments (2020) for details. 15.9.6 Internal Storage Internal storage within an apartment unit shall be provided in accordance with the Sustainable Urban Development: Design Standards for New Apartments as set out in Appendix 1 and Section 3.30 to 3.34 of the Sustainable Urban Housing: Design Standards for New Apartments (2020) for details. Flexibility shall be provided in certain circumstances on a case by case basis. 15.9.7 Private Amenity Space Private amenity space shall be provided in the form of terrace, balcony or private garden and should be located off the main living area in the apartment. The minimum areas for private amenity are set out in Appendix 1 and Section 3.35 to 3.39 of the Sustainable Urban Housing: Design Standards for New Apartments (2020) for details. At ground floor level, private amenity space should be sufficiently screened to provide for privacy. Where ground floor apartments are to be located adjoining the back of a public footpath or other public area, consideration may be given to the provision of a ‘privacy strip’ of approximately 1.5 m in depth, subject to appropriate landscape design and boundary treatment.
Source Dublin City Council: Dublin City Development Plan 2022–2028 – Volume 1: Written Statement (as varied by Variations Nos. 1–11) (2022–2028) · Licence the publisher's termsText read from the publisher’s PDF; tables, maps and drawings do not survive as text, and page numbers are the PDF’s (its first page is 1). Check the original before relying on a passage.