Policy HO10
Detailed residential standards
The council will ensure that the design and quality of all new housing, including new build, conversions and change of use, is accessible, inclusive and of a high standard and that developments provide housing that will meet the needs of future occupants and respect the principles of good neighbourliness.
- To achieve a high standard of design, the following considerations will be taken into account:
a) floor areas and room sizes in new build dwellings, conversions and changes of use, including meeting Nationally Described Space Standards.
b) inclusive and accessible design for disabled people.
c) amenity and green garden space provision.
d) accessible and inclusive vehicle and cycle parking.
e) flood protection measures and attenuation of surface water run-off.
f) sustainable energy measures that provide resilience to climate change impacts.
g) use of durable construction materials to construct low maintenance dwellings with low environmental impacts.
h) provision of waste and recycling storage facilities.
i) noise insulation and layout to minimise noise nuisance between dwellings; and
j) protection of existing residential amenities, including issues such as loss of daylight, sunlight; and
privacy and outlook.
- Proposals for extensions will be considered acceptable where it can be demonstrated that there is no detrimental impact on:
a) privacy enjoyed by neighbours in adjoining properties.
b) daylight and sunlight to rooms in adjoining properties.
c) outlook from windows in adjoining properties; and
d) openness between properties.
4.78 Once the principle of residential development has been established through land use policies, there is a need to assess planning applications against detailed standards to ensure that a development is of high quality, well designed, accessible and that it will not be detrimental to the amenities of residents in the surrounding area, including loss of daylight, sunlight and privacy for existing residents. These standards are often subject to on-site judgement, but a departure from the standards needs to be justified by the circumstances of a particular case.
4.79 It is important for new housing to meet standards on matters such as minimum dwelling and room size and on the amount of amenity space. In 2015, the government introduced the Nationally Described Space Standard (NDSS) which as a minimum, new dwellings in the borough will be expected to meet. This is also reflected in the London Plan. Where changes to the existing stock are proposed, including basement accommodation, they should also be fit for purpose. It will be easier for new housing to meet size and other quality control criteria, but a level of flexibility is appropriate to take into account on-site circumstances. This is even more so with conversions and change of use, where adaptation of existing stock means that it is difficult to meet similar standards as for new build. The council has adopted detailed residential standards in the Planning Guidance SPD which will be re-adopted to support this Local Plan in the future. The detailed guidance in the SPD will take account of the London Plan and the Mayor of London's Housing SPG which includes detailed standards for housing that have been gathered from a number of sources, for example Secured by Design.
4.80 Proposals for new housing should seek to exceed the requirements for private outside space as set out in the London Plan. Additionally, all ground level family housing should have access to private gardens/amenity space. Family housing on upper floors should have access to shared amenity space, children's play space, and/or a balcony or terrace subject to acceptable amenity and design considerations.
Residential amenity
4.81 It is always necessary for developments to take into account the residential amenity of neighbours and the impact on the environment. However, this is especially important in a densely built borough such as Hammersmith and Fulham where developments are often juxtaposed with their neighbours. In particular, changes to terraced properties, including extensions and roof terraces, can impact on neighbours if not carefully designed, for example, through overlooking and visual intrusion, and can also impact upon flooding, for example through surface water run-off, if not consistently managed under sound environmental principles.