Quality Design Guidelines - Residential Areas (Part A)

Overview

The Guidelines are comprised of four main parts:

Quality Design Principles
Building Typed and Key Outcomes
General Building Design Details
Designing for the Community

Implementation and Relationship with Other Planning Documents:

State Government Initiatives

The Victorian Government is in the process of implementing significant reforms to planning and urban design requirements across Victoria.

The Guidelines do not seek to vary any policy, standard, or guideline implemented by the Victorian Government.

Glen Eira City Council – Planning Scheme Provisions and general guidance

The Quality Design Guidelines will inform and work alongside existing and future content of the Glen Eira Planning Scheme.

Quality Design Principles

1.Well Designed Buildings
Achieved by following guidelines and requirements:
Building Separation
Setbacks
Facades
Pedestrian Entries
Vehicle Entries
2.Quality Materials
Achieved by following guidelines and requirements:
Facades
Materials
Entries
3.Residential Garden Setting
Achieved by following guidelines and requirements:
Setbacks
Private Open Space
Landscaping/Canopy Trees
Fencing
Green Corridors
4.Canopy Trees and Greenery
Achieved by following guidelines and requirements:
Setbacks
Private Open Space
Landscaping/Canopy Trees
Basement Footprint
5.Access and Parking
Achieved by following guidelines and requirements:
Pedestrian Entries
Vehicle Entries
Car Parking
Bicycle Parking

6.Residential Roof Forms
Achieved by following guidelines and requirements:
Roof Design
7.Managing Overlooking
Achieved by following guidelines and requirements:
Privacy – Managing Direct Views and Overlooking
Setbacks
Internal Layout
8.Universal Design
Achieved by following guidelines and requirements:
Pedestrian Entries
Dwelling Configuration
Universal Design/Accessibility
9.Environmental Sustainability
Achieved by following guidelines and requirements:
Roof Design
Facades, Materials and Entries
Building Services

Building Types and Key Outcomes

Heritage and Character Housing

Overview

New housing on land affected by a Heritage Overlay or Neighborhood Character Overlay that respects and celebrates the character of the area

Strategic Implementation

Building Height
1 to 2 storeys.
Preferred Locations
Residential areas within or proposed within a Heritage Overlay or Neighborhood Character Overlay.
Indicative Zone
Neighborhood Residential Zone With a Heritage Overlay or Neighborhood Character Overlay.

Design Example

Minimal Change Areas

Overview

One or two detached or semi-detached dwellings built on a lot

Strategic Implementation

Building Height
1 to 2 storeys (site specific).
Preferred Locations
Existing low-scale residential areas not identified for growth.
Areas identified as minimal change areas in the Glen Eira Planning Scheme.
Indicative Zone
Neighborhood Residential Zone.

Design Example

Setbacks

Responding to Context

Developments in minimal change areas should provide a considered response to contexts on adjoining properties. Some interfaces may necessitate further setbacks than those prescribed. The following section illustrates design guidance for some common contexts.

CONTEXT: ADJOINING A SINGLE DWELLING ALLOTMENT

CONTEXT: ADJOINING MULTI-UNIT DEVELOPMENTS

CONTEXT: LOCAL STREETS AND MAIN ROADS

Key Design Outcomes

Built Form

High quality, attractive architecture is strongly supported and encouraged. Buildings should be uniquely designed, constructed with quality and integral materials, and provide a sense of individual identity for each townhouse within the development.

Incorporate substantial setbacks with well-articulated building elements that minimize the effects of double storey development on neighborhood character and adjoining properties, particularly in locations where single storey dwellings are the dominant form.

Roof design should positively respond to and enhance the residential streetscape

Provide building entries that are clearly visible and welcoming.

Quality Materials, Textures and Colors

Incorporate quality materials, colors and architectural details that reflect the local residential context.

Recommendations:

–– Integral and long-lasting materials, textures and colors that reflect a residential palette and integrate elements of the existing streetscape. Bricks and durable timber cladding are strongly encouraged.

–– Safe materials that meet relevant building regulations.

Avoid:

–– Materials, colors and textures that don’t fit in with the neighborhood character and dominate the street.

–– Visual clutter from too many materials, colors and feature elements.

–– Focusing the design detailing and material treatments along front facades only. Ensure the design is attractive from front, oblique and side views with design elements wrapping around corners.

–– Cheap materials that imitate quality or weather poorly, requiring ongoing maintenance.

Garden Setting and Landscaping

Provide an open and landscaped garden setting with substantial front and rear setbacks, deep planted canopy trees and permeable surfaces. High quality landscaping that prioritizes greenery and softens the built form is strongly encouraged.

If basements are provided, minimize basement footprints within the front and rear setbacks to allow deep planting in these areas. Prioritizing front and rear setbacks may mean that side setbacks will be limited on small sites. In these areas, incorporate planting on structures or narrow trees with limited canopy widths to soften the built form.

Tree planting recommendation: provide one tree per dwelling in front and rear setbacks, including one advanced canopy tree per 8m* of front and rear boundary. *If the result is not a whole number, round up to the nearest whole number. Please note: the advanced canopy tree(s) can be included as part of the dwelling requirement calculation. Planting location should be site-responsive.

Secluded Private Open Space (SPOS) and Active Living Areas

SPOS to be provided on the ground floor to the side or rear of the site, with access direct from living areas (minimum 40m2 secluded private open space and a total of 60m2 per dwelling). Avoid SPOS at upper floors.

SPOS is discouraged in the street setback except located along on a main road where taller fencing that provides a level of privacy is encouraged. Ensure services areas are separated from recreational areas and concealed from the public realm.

Active living areas should be located on the ground floor. Ground floor active living areas minimize amenity impacts on adjoining properties and assist in accommodating people of all ages and abilities.

Front Fence Height and Design

Fencing should balance the need for privacy and with passive surveillance and activation of the public realm.

Recommendations:

–– Local streets — Maximum fence height of 1.2m. Fencing should contribute to the low-scale, open character of local residential streets.

–– Main roads — Maximum fence height of 1.8m. Tall fencing should be designed to incorporate landscaping and permeability to contribute greenery and provide a level of passive surveillance. Any fencing above 1.2m in height should provide some visual transparency to allow for interaction with the street.

Access and Parking

Ensure that accessways and car parking structures are recessive and do not compromise landscaping opportunities by minimizing the number and width of vehicle crossings and driveways, and concealing or recessing garage and basement entries.

Access from side streets or rear lanes is preferred. However, if required on the primary street frontage, locate any crossovers near side boundaries with driveways and ramping minimized and concealed as much as practicable.

Passive Surveillance

Encourage passive surveillance of the street, with windows, balustrades, fencing and landscaping that provide a level of permeability. Considered design can maintain privacy for residents.

Sustainable Building Design

Incorporate sustainable design elements into roofing (e.g. solar panels; skylights and ventilation systems; and green roofs on larger developments).

Use sustainable building materials with low embodied energy or high proportions of recycled materials to significantly reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of a development.

Incorporate passive solar design elements that improve energy efficiency of buildings (building orientation, shading and use of integral materials improve passive heating and cooling effects while minimizing reliance on mechanical air-conditioning systems).

Provide sustainable and biodiverse landscapes with appropriate species selection and maintenance systems.

Garden Townhouse

Overview

Townhouses in a garden setting

Strategic Implementation

Building Height

2 to 3 storeys.

Preferred locations

Residential land in a major or neighborhood activity center on a local street identified for growth.

Residential land outside of major or neighborhood activity centers along a main road identified for growth.

Indicative zone

General Residential Zone.

Setbacks

Key Design Outcomes

Built Form

Built forms contribute to a low scale (two-storey) streetscape character. Levels above two storeys appear recessive when viewed from the public realm and adjoining sites.

Roof design should positively respond to and enhance the residential streetscape. Contemporary architectural interpretations of traditional roof forms are encouraged to assist with streetscape integration. For example, in streets where traditional angled roofing is the predominate form (e.g. pitched, hipped or skillion styles), integrate angled roofing element fronting the street.

Provide wide building entries that are clearly visible and welcoming. Each ground floor dwelling with a street frontage should also have its own entry facing the street.

Conceal all building services including domestic services, utilities and waste management facilities.

Quality Materials, Textures and Colors

Use integral and long-lasting materials, textures and colors that reflect a residential palette and integrate elements of the existing streetscape. Bricks and durable timber cladding are strongly encouraged.

Use varied materials and contrasting colors to highlight feature elements, delineate breaks (e.g. dividing wide structures into sections that match the pattern of development) or reduce the impact of other building elements (e.g. reducing the dominance of upper floors or masking unsightly building services).

Secluded Private Open Space (SPOS)

SPOS to be located on the ground floor with access from living areas (minimum 25m2 of SPOS per dwelling in a single location at ground floor). Avoid primary SPOS such as living areas with balconies at upper floors. Refer to front fence design, which affects SPOS locations in the front setback.

Private open space should be designed to separate recreational and service areas (using screening or separate locations). Ensure that building services and domestic service areas are concealed from view from the public realm.

Garden Setting and Landscaping

Minimize basement footprints within the front and rear setbacks to prioritize deep planting in these areas. By prioritizing front and rear setbacks, side setbacks may be limited on small sites. In these areas incorporate planting on structures or narrow trees with limited canopy widths to soften the built form.

Tree planting recommendation: provide a minimum of one advanced canopy tree for every 8 meters of boundary at the front and rear; and 1 tree per ground floor dwelling. The advanced canopy tree requirement under the boundary length calculation can include the 1 tree per ground floor dwelling requirement. If the result is not a whole number, round up to the nearest whole number. Planting location to be site responsive.

Front Fence Height and Design

Fencing should balance the need for privacy with passive surveillance and activation of the public realm. In local streets, there is an expectation that developments will maintain an open, vegetated character with low front fencing, permeable surfaces, significant landscaping and clear views towards dwellings. On main roads, taller fencing is considered acceptable to reduce amenity impacts such as noise from traffic.

Recommendations:

–– Local streets — Maximum fence height of 1.2m within 3m of the front boundary: If ground floor SPOS is proposed within the street setback (requiring a taller fence) the fence should not encroach within 3m of the front boundary to encourage a welcoming garden corridor fronting the street with significant landscaping. All fences above 1.2m in height should provide some visual transparency to allow for interaction with the street (minimum 25 per cent open).

–– Main roads — Maximum fence height of 1.8m: Tall fencing should be designed to incorporate landscaping and permeability to contribute greenery and provide a level of passive surveillance. Ground floor SPOS is supported in the front setback.

Outlook, Overlooking and Passive Surveillance

Ensure active living areas (balconies, courtyards, terraces, lounges, kitchens, dining, etc.) maximize views, outlook, natural daylight and ventilation while managing overlooking and visual privacy for residents. Prioritize the orientation of dwellings and active living areas towards the front or rear of the site and at ground floor.

Avoid the following:

–– Reverse-living in townhouses where the living room is above ground floor.

–– Upper floor active living areas facing side or rear residential boundaries. This is a concern at first floor (level 2), where setbacks are generally limited. Consider locating passive rooms like bedrooms, studies or bathrooms at these locations.

–– Reliance on 1.7 meter high screening that closes in homes and adds bulk to the building. Alternative layouts and screening measures can ensure visual privacy while improving internal amenity for residents.

Encourage interaction and passive surveillance of the street, with windows, balustrades, fencing and landscaping that provide a level of permeability. This can be achieved in a way that still maintains privacy for residents through considered design.

Site Consolidation

Site consolidation is strongly encouraged to deliver an efficient built form with adequate landscaping, setbacks, consolidated carparking and a reduced number of crossovers and hardstand areas.

Building design on consolidated sites should continue to respond to the rhythm and pattern of development on the street. Break up long extents using a combination of varied setbacks, articulation, materials and colors. Divide the building into single lot sized proportions from street view.

Access and Parking

Ensure that accessways and car parking structures are recessive and do not compromise landscaping opportunities. Minimize number and width of vehicle crossings and driveways, and conceal or recess garage and basement entries.

Access from side streets or rear lanes is preferred. However, if required on the primary street frontage, locate the crossover near the side boundary with driveways/ramping minimized and concealed as much as practical. In developments without basement parking, driveways located along side boundaries provide a simple way to ensure further building separation from adjoining land.

Sustainable Building Design

The following sustainable building design elements would be viewed favourably in new developments:

Incorporate sustainable design elements into roofing (e.g. solar panels; skylights and ventilation systems; and green roofs on larger developments).

Use sustainable building materials with low embodied energy or high proportions of recycled materials to significantly reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of a development.

Provide sustainable and biodiverse landscapes with appropriate species selection and maintenance systems.

Incorporate innovative approaches to waste management.

Dwelling Diversity

Provide a mixture of dwelling types and sizes that cater to a wide range of demographics, budgets, accessibility requirements and needs.

Recommendation: provide a range of dwelling sizes including three (or more) bedroom dwellings to provide adequate housing for families, group and multi-generational households — these larger dwellings should not be restricted to luxury households such as penthouse apartments.

Townhouse and Apartment Mix

Overview

A mix of townhouses and apartments in a garden setting

Strategic Implementation

Building height

2 to 3 storeys

Preferred Locations

Residential land along major and arterial roads and transport corridors.

Designated precincts within major activity centers and large neighborhood centers with good access to public transport.

Indicative Zone

General Residential Zone.

Setbacks

Key Design Outcomes

Built Form

High quality, attractive architecture is strongly supported and encouraged. Buildings should be uniquely designed and constructed with quality and integral materials.

Built forms contribute to a low scale (two-storey) streetscape character. Levels above two storeys appear recessive when viewed from the public realm and adjoining sites.

Provide wide building entries that are clearly visible and welcoming. Each ground floor dwelling with a street frontage should also have its own entry facing the street.

Conceal all building services including domestic services, utilities and waste management facilities.

Quality Materials, Textures and Colors

Use integral and long lasting materials, textures and colors that reflect a residential palette and integrate elements of the existing streetscape. Bricks and durable timber cladding are strongly encouraged.

Secluded Private Open Space (SPOS)

Garden Setting and Landscaping

Front Fence Height and Design

Recommendations:

Outlook, Overlooking and Passive Surveillance

Ensure active living areas (balconies, courtyards, terraces, lounges, dining, etc.) maximize views, outlook, natural daylight and ventilation while managing overlooking and visual privacy for residents.

Prioritize the orientation of dwellings and active living areas towards the front or rear of the site (avoid facing side boundaries).

The mix of townhouses and apartments can be designed to inherently manage overlooking towards side and rear boundaries from active living areas, particularly at first floor. In addition to alternative screening listed under General building design details, consider the following dwelling layout:

–– Provide double-storey townhouses at the side and rear of the site, with active living areas at ground floor and passive rooms such as bedrooms, studies and bathrooms at first floor.

–– Position apartments facing the street, or at level 3, where overlooking towards the side and rear of the site can be reduced more easily through considered design that maintains outlook for residents of the building while moderating overlooking to adjoining properties.

Avoid the following:

–– Reverse-living in townhouses where the living room is above ground floor.

–– Upper floor active living areas facing side or rear residential boundaries. This is a particular concern at first floor (level 2), where setbacks are generally limited. Consider locating passive rooms like bedrooms, studies or bathrooms at these locations.

Access and Parking

Access from side streets or rear lanes is preferred. However, if required on the primary street frontage, locate the crossover near the side boundary with driveways/ramping minimized and concealed as much as practicable. In developments without basement parking, driveways located along side boundaries provide a simple way to ensure further building separation from adjoining land.

Dwelling Diversity

Provide a mixture of dwelling types and sizes that cater to a wide range of demographics, budgets, accessibility requirements and needs.

Sustainable Building Design

The following sustainable building design elements would be viewed favourably in new developments:

Incorporate sustainable design elements into roofing (e.g. solar panels; skylights and ventilation systems; and green roofs on larger developments).

Use sustainable building materials with low embodied energy or high proportions of recycled materials to significantly reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of a development.

Provide sustainable and biodiverse landscapes with appropriate species selection and maintenance systems.

Incorporate innovative approaches to waste management.

Site Consolidation

Site consolidation is strongly encouraged to deliver an efficient built form with adequate landscaping, setbacks, consolidated carparking and a reduced number of crossovers and hardstand areas.

Garden Apartment

Overview

Apartment Building in a Garden Setting

Strategic Implementation

Building Height

3 to 4 storeys.

Preferred Locations

Designated precincts within major activity centers with good access to public transport.

Indicative Zone

Residential Growth Zone.

Setbacks

Key Design Outcomes

Built Form

High quality, attractive architecture is strongly supported and encouraged. Buildings should be uniquely designed and constructed with quality and integral materials.

Built forms contribute to a low scale (two-storey) streetscape character. Levels above two storeys appear recessive when viewed from the public realm and adjoining sites.

Provide wide building entries that are clearly visible and welcoming. Each ground floor dwelling with a street frontage should also have its own entry facing the street.

Conceal all building services including domestic services, utilities and waste management facilities.

Quality Materials, Textures and Colors

Secluded Private Open Space (SPOS)

Minimum SPOS sizes are not prescribed — design in accordance with standard ResCode requirements. Refer to front fence design, which affects SPOS locations in the front setback.

Garden Setting and Landscaping

Front Fence Height and Design

Recommendations:

Outlook, Overlooking and Passive Surveillance

Ensure active living areas (balconies, courtyards, terraces, lounges, dining, etc.) maximise views, outlook, natural daylight and ventilation while managing overlooking and visual privacy for residents.

Prioritise the orientation of dwellings and active living areas towards the front or rear of the site (avoid facing side boundaries).

The layout of dwellings can be designed to inherently manage overlooking towards side and rear boundaries from active living areas, particularly at first floor. In addition to alternative screening listed under General building design details, consider the following dwelling layout:

–– Provide double-storey townhouses at the side and rear of the site, with active living areas at ground floor and passive rooms such as bedrooms, studies and bathrooms at first floor where screened windows are less detrimental to internal amenity.

–– Position apartments facing the street, or at level 3, where overlooking towards the side and rear of the site can more easily be reduced through considered design that maintains outlook for residents of the building while moderating overlooking to adjoining properties.

Avoid the Following:

–– Reverse-living in townhouses where the living room is above ground floor

Access and Parking

Sustainable Building Design

The following sustainable building design elements would be viewed favourably in new developments:

Incorporate sustainable design elements into roofing (e.g. solar panels; skylights and ventilation systems; and green roofs on larger developments).

Use sustainable building materials with low embodied energy or high proportions of recycled materials to significantly reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of a development.

Provide sustainable and biodiverse landscapes with appropriate species selection and maintenance systems.

Incorporate innovative approaches to waste management.

Dwelling Diversity

Provide a mixture of dwelling types and sizes that cater to a wide range of demographics, budgets, accessibility requirements and needs.

Recommendation: Provide a range of dwelling sizes including three (or more) bedroom dwellings to provide adequate housing for families, group and multigenerational households — these larger dwellings should not be restricted to luxury households such as penthouse apartments.

Site Consolidation

Site consolidation is strongly encouraged to deliver an efficient built form with adequate landscaping, setbacks, consolidated carparking and a reduced number of crossovers and hardstand areas. Avoid tall, skinny built forms in single allotments. Four storey garden apartment buildings should not be constructed on single allotments — instead consider a 2 to 3 storey form where on sites less than 20 meters wide (refer to townhouse and apartment mix or garden townhouse building types).

Urban Apartment

Overview

Apartment building within a dense urban setting

Strategic Implementation

Building Height

3 to 4 storeys, unless otherwise defined in the Glen Eira Planning Scheme or an adopted Council document.

Preferred Locations

Identified lower scale residential-only areas in urban renewal precincts.

Identified residential-only areas adjoining active commercial and mixed-use land where density can be accommodated.

Indicative Zone

Residential Growth Zone.

Precinct-specific zoning as part of an urban renewal area.

Setbacks

Key Design Outcomes

Built Form

High quality, attractive architecture is strongly supported and encouraged. Buildings should be uniquely designed and constructed with quality and integral materials. This building type is nominated in areas of significant transformation, where contemporary architecture is anticipated and supported. Design should reinforce a dense urban character with a landscape buffer and greenery to soften the built form.

Provide wide building entries that are clearly visible and welcoming. Each ground floor dwelling with a street frontage should have its own entry facing the street.

Site Consolidation

Site consolidation is encouraged to deliver an efficient built form and to ensure the visual impact of larger developments. Avoid tall, skinny built forms in single allotments. Four storey urban apartment buildings should not be constructed on single allotments. Consider a 2 to 3 storey urban form where on sites less than 20 meters wide.

Building design on consolidated sites should continue to respond to the rhythm and pattern of development on the street. Break up long extents using a combination of varied setbacks, articulation, materials and colours. Divide the building into single lot sized proportions from street view.

Dwelling Diversity

Provide a mixture of dwelling types and sizes that cater to a wide range of demographics, budgets, accessibility requirements and needs. Provide a range of dwelling sizes including three (or more) bedroom dwellings to provide adequate housing for families, group and multigenerational households — these larger dwellings should not be restricted to luxury households such as penthouse apartments.

Quality Materials, Textures and Colors

Use safe materials that meet relevant building regulations.

Landscaping

Design emphasizes an urban landscaped character with minimal street setbacks (3 meters) and greenery in courtyards and balconies fronting the street.

Minimise basement footprints within the front setback to prioritise deep planting in these areas. By prioritising front setbacks, it is acknowledged that side and rear setbacks may be limited. In these areas incorporate planting on structures or narrow trees with limited canopy widths to soften the built form.

Tree planting recommendation: provide a minimum of one advanced canopy tree for every 8 meters of boundary at the front; and 1 tree per ground floor dwelling. The advanced canopy tree requirement under the boundary length calculation can include the 1 tree per ground floor dwelling requirement. If the result is not a whole number, round up to the nearest whole number. Planting location to be site responsive.

Front Fence Height and Design

Fencing should balance the need for privacy and with passive surveillance and activation of the public realm. Provide a maximum fence height of 1.5m. Any fencing above 1.2 meters in height should be set back behind a landscape buffer and designed to be visually permeable.

Secluded Private Open Space (SPOS)

Minimum SPOS sizes are not prescribed — design in accordance with standard ResCode requirements. Refer to front fence design, which affects SPOS locations in the front setback.

Outlook, Overlooking and Passive Surveillance

Ensure active living areas (balconies, courtyards, terraces, lounges, kitchens, dining, etc) maximize views, outlook, natural daylight and ventilation while managing overlooking and visual privacy for residents. Prioritize the orientation of dwellings and active living areas towards the front or rear of the site (avoid facing side boundaries at upper floors).

Access and Parking

Sustainable Building Design

The following sustainable building design elements would be viewed favourably in new developments:

Incorporate sustainable design elements into roofing (e.g. solar panels; skylights and ventilation systems; and green roofs on larger developments).

Use sustainable building materials with low embodied energy or high proportions of recycled materials to significantly reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of a development.

Provide sustainable and biodiverse landscapes with appropriate species selection and maintenance systems.

Incorporate innovative approaches to waste management.

Non-Residential Land Uses

Overview

Developments for non-residential uses in an existing residential zone

Strategic Implementation

Building Height

Building height to match the prevailing height of the local residential area.

Preferred Location

Refer to Council’s Activity Centre, Housing and Local Economy Strategy.

Refer to the Non-Residential Uses in Residential Zones Policy and Child Care Centres Policy in the Glen Eira Planning Scheme.

Design Guidance

Refer to the Quality Design Principles and General Building Design Details sections in this document as relevant.

Refer to the Non-Residential Uses in Residential Zones Policy and Child Care Centers Policy in the Glen Eira Planning Scheme.