COMPARISON: EXISTING and PROPSED VISUAL PRIVACY POLICIES, Bowden Village DPA

The Ministers’ proposed changes to Council Development Policies are outlined below – the existing policies are highlighted green.

The Ministerial changes in  this Council wide change are self evidently designed to remove safeguards against unreasonable overlooking which the residents present (at least in theory) enjoy.

DPA POPOSED AMENDMENT

(in “Design & Appearance  General  Section”)

Visual Privacy

10 Development should minimise direct overlooking of the main internal living areas and private open spaces of dwellings through measures such as:

(a) off-setting the location of balconies and windows of habitable rooms with those of other buildings so that views are oblique rather than direct

(b) building setbacks from boundaries (including building boundary to boundary where appropriate) that interrupt views or that provide a spatial separation between balconies or windows of habitable rooms

(c) screening devices (including fencing, obscure glazing, screens, external ventilation blinds, window hoods and shutters) that are integrated into the building design and have minimal negative effect on residents’ or neighbours’ amenity.

11 Permanently fixed external screening devices should be designed and coloured to complement the associated building’s external materials and finishes.

CHARLES STURT DPA – CURRENT VERSION

(in “Residential Dev. General Sec.)

Visual Privacy

32 Direct overlooking into habitable room windows and onto the useable private open spaces of other dwellings from windows, especially from upper-level habitable rooms and external balconies, terraces and decks, should be minimised through the adoption of one or more of the following:

(a) building layout

(b) location and design of windows and balconies

(c) screening devices

(d) landscaping

(e) adequate separation.

33 Permanently fixed external screening devices should be designed and coloured to blend with the associated building’s external material and finishes.

DPA POPOSED AMENDMENT

Visual Privacy

(GENERAL  SECTION, Medium or Highrise Developments, 3 or more storeys):

4 The visual privacy of ground floor dwellings within multi-storey buildings should be protected through the use of design features such as the elevation of ground floors above street level, setbacks from the street and the location of verandas, windows, porticos or the like.

Visual Privacy

(GENERAL  SECTION, Residential Development.)

22 Except for buildings of 3 or more storeys, upper level windows, balconies, terraces and decks that overlook habitable room windows or private open space of dwellings should maximise visual privacy through the use of measures such as sill heights of not less than 1.5 metres or permanent screens having a height of 1.5 metres above finished floor level.

CHARLES STURT DPA – CURRENT VERSION

(Charles Sturt Council   Table Section
Table ChSt/1- Conditions for Complying Development)

Visual Privacy

15 Windows of habitable rooms at or above the second storey and which face side or rear site boundaries have:

(a) permanently fixed translucent glazing in any part of the window below 1.7 metres above floor level; or

(b) sill heights of at least 1.7 metres above floor level.

16 Dwellings have no balconies, terraces or decks at or above the second storey.

NB: Table Reference “ChSt/1 above is to the whole council area. This condition was inserted as a special policy by the Charles  Sturt Council and is not a metropolitan wide policy