Policy information sourced from the Havering Local Plan
7 Residential design and amenity
Residential development should be of a high design quality that is inclusive and provides an attractive, safe and accessible living environment for new residents whilst ensuring that the amenity and quality of life of existing and future residents is not adversely impacted.
To protect the amenity of existing and future residents the Council will support developments that do not result in:
- Unacceptable overlooking or loss of privacy or outlook;
- Unacceptable loss of daylight and sunlight; and
- Unacceptable levels of noise, vibration and disturbance.
To ensure a high quality living environment for residents of new developments, the Council will support residential developments that:
- Meet the National Space Standards and the London Plan requirement for floor to ceiling heights;
- Are sited and designed to maximise daylight and sunlight;
- Incorporate an appropriate level of high quality, usable green infrastructure and amenity space that is designed to be multi-functional and offer a range of environmental benefits and leisure and recreation opportunities;
- Provide both balconies and communal amenity space in flatted schemes; and
- Maximises the provision of dual aspect accommodation unless exceptional circumstances are demonstrated;
In any development affordable and market housing will be expected to have the same external appearance and equivalent amenity in relation to views, daylight, noise and proximity to open space.
New developments should promote independent living by utilising designs which can allow for alterations to be made in the future. The Council will require 90% of new build housing to meet Building Regulation requirement M4(2) ‘Accessible and Adaptable Dwellings’, with the remaining 10 percent meeting Building Regulation requirement M4(3) ‘Wheelchair User Dwellings’.
The Council will support and encourage proposals which provide adaptations enabling residents to live independently and safely in their own homes.
For more information please see the Havering Local Plan