Family-friendly apartment norms published

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Archiseek / Ireland / News / 2007 / January 10

Guidelines aimed at ensuring that the design and layout of new apartments will provide better living spaces for a variety of households, including families with children, were published yesterday by Minister for the Environment Dick Roche. The draft Guidelines for Planning Authorities on Sustainable Urban Housing: Design Standards for Apartments lay down minimum standards for floor areas, storage space, balconies, patios and even the dimensions of certain rooms. To make apartment living more family-friendly, the guidelines specify that no more than 10-15 per cent of any scheme of 20 or more apartments should be of the one-bedroom type, other than in exceptional cases such as student accommodation. They are to be supplemented by new planning guidelines on sustainable urban housing, which will incorporate a revision of the 1999 residential density guidelines, as well as a "best practice" handbook on urban design and housing layouts.

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