Policy information sourced from Redbridge Local Plan

LP29: Amenity and Internal Space Standards

The Council will ensure that new development will provide external private and/or communal amenity space to meet the needs of occupants by:

  • Seeking a minimum amount of private amenity space for fatted development:
    • 5 sq.m of private amenity space for 1-2 person dwelling; and
    • an additional 1sq.m for each additional occupant.

For new housing development:

    • 50 sq.m of private amenity space per dwelling for 1 and 2 bed units and for houses containing 3 or more bedrooms an additional 10 sq.m per additional bedroom.
  • Seeking a minimum amount of communal amenity space of 5 sq.m per unit for fatted development and 5 sq.m per unit for housing schemes greater than 50 units;
  • Seeking an appropriate scale of private amenity space per habitable room in specialised housing depending upon end user requirements and the location sensitivities of the scheme; and
  • Seeking for all development with an additional estimated occupancy of ten children or more, communal play provision of 10 sq.m for each child predicted to occupy the development in accordance with the Mayor’s Play and Informal Recreation SPG (or any successor document).

In all cases, amenity space in new residential development should:

  • Be compatible with the prevailing pattern in the surrounding area as set out in the Characterisation Study (2014);
  • Be of an appropriate scale to maximise usability and to be of a functional and practical confguration to enable a range of reasonable activities including sitting out, dining, child’s play, gardening and social interaction;
  • Be orientated to maximise sunlight and outlook and be free from adverse microclimate and noise; and
  • Be “ft for purpose” in terms of the particular building it serves and being well located relative to the accommodation within the building envelope. It should not rely on areas used for parking (such as driveways) or narrow bufer strips.

Internal Space

The Council has adopted and will implement the National Internal Space Standards for new dwellings published by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG, March 2015), when making decisions on new development proposals for housing. All planning proposals for housing development in the borough will be required to comply with the national standards set out in the DCLG document.

Implementation

The Council will update the Characterisation Study (2014) to inform consideration of amenity space in new development. The regular review of the Characterisation Study (2014) will provide further detail with respect to the quality and quantity of amenity space in new residential development.

For more information please see the Local Plan