COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF DEVELOPMENT PLAN MEETING

Tuesday, May 04, 2010

MOTION NO.14

MOTION: Councillor W. Lavelle

To omit the following two sections:

• 1.4.23.i Policy SN19: Minimum Required Dwelling Unit Size
• 1.4.25.i Policy SN20: Internal Storage Requirements for Apartments

And replace with the following single section:

‘Policy: Minimum standards for new residential units:

All new residential dwellings shall be required to comply with the minimum requirements for overall unit sizes, internal room sizes and dimensions and sizes for storage and balconies (in the case of apartments) as laid down in both “Quality Housing for Sustainable Communities - Best Practice Guidelines' and ‘Sustainable Urban Housing: Design Standards for New Apartments’ as published by the Departments of Environment, Heritage and Local Government.’ 

AND:

To amend Table 11.3 ‘Minimum Required Private Amenity Space’ by removing the standards for apartments.

REPORT:

It is an objective of the development plan that apartments should be designed to provide good quality, permanent and sustainable living accommodation and should not be predicated on the assumption that apartment living is a transient phase in the life of people who will eventually move to a house.  Therefore it is considered reasonable to require a minimum private amenity space for each apartment.

The minimum dwelling unit size and internal storage requirements for apartments have been considered in detail and reflect the contents of the ‘Quality Housing for Sustainable Communities – Best Practice Guidelines, 2007’, ‘Sustainable Urban Housing: Design Standards for New Apartments, 2007’ as well as ‘Sustainable Urban Housing: Design Standards for New Apartments, 2007’, ‘Sustainable Residential Development in Urban Areas, 2008’, ‘Quality Housing for Sustainable Communities, 2007’ and the ‘Tallaght Local Area Plan 2006’. 

The use of tables to illustrate the Council’s standards, which reflects government guidance, for both dwelling unit sizes and apartment internal storage was considered practicable as they demonstrate in a clear and concise way what the requirements are.  The tables are a user-friendly way of navigating and using the document.  

Manager’s Recommendation:

It is recommended that the motion not be adopted.