COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

South Dublin County Council Crest

MEETING OF DEVELOPMENT PLAN MEETING

Thursday, June 18, 2015

MOTION NO. 54

MOTION: Councillor C. King

2.3.4 Internal Residential Accommodation - Additional Objective

H14 Objective 4:

To ensure that all apartments are designed to provide utility rooms which can be used for the purpose of washing and drying of clothes with appropriate and adequate venting which ensures no build up of surplus moisture and avoids the proliferation of mould. This objective further supports the policy of "no clothes drying permissible on apartment balcony's".

REPORT:

The Sustainable Urban Housing: Design Standards for New Apartments Guidelines for Planning Authorities (2007) suggest that clothes drying facilities should be provided in the form of communal facilities in larger schemes or within each unit.

It is considered that a prescribed requirement for a utility room in all new apartments particularly for one and two bedroom apartments would be onerous. The insertion of a requirement for facilities in line with the recommendations of the Apartment Guidelines would be more feasible. This should be inserted into Chapter 11 Implementation under Dwelling Standards (11.3.1).

The ventilation of residential buildings is governed by Part F of the national Building Regulations and this detailed aspect of construction is beyond the remit of the County Development Plan.

Recommendation

It is recommended that this motion is adopted with amendment.

Insert a requirement under Chapter 11 Implementation for adequately ventilated clothes drying facilities to be provided for apartment developments in the form of communal facilities or individual facilities within each unit.