Building Separation

Building separation is the distance measured between building envelopes or buildings.Separation between buildings contributes to the urban form of an area and the amenity within apartments and open space areas.

building envelopes which includes balconies

Amenity is improved through establishing minimum distances between apartments within the site, between apartments and non residential uses and with boundaries to neighbours. Building separation ensures communal and private open spaces can have useable space with landscaping, deep soil and adequate sunlight and privacy. Within apartments, building separation assists with visual and acoustic privacy, outlook, natural ventilation and daylight access.

In areas undergoing transition from low density to higher densities, minimum building separation distances may not be achieved until the area completes its transition

Building separation controls should be set in conjunction with height controls and controls for private/communal open space and visual and acoustic privacy.

Aims

• ensure that new development is scaled to support the desired future character with appropriate massing and spaces between buildings
• assist in providing residential amenity including visual and acoustic privacy, natural ventilation, sunlight and daylight access and outlook
• provide suitable areas for communal open spaces, deep soil zones and landscaping.

How to measure building separation

Building separation supports residential amenity and helps to provide suitable communal open space areas

Minimum building separation increases proportionally to the building height

Gallery access circulation areas should be treated as habitable space, with separation measured from the exterior edge of the circulation space.

When measuring the building separation between commercial and residential uses, consider office windows and balconies as habitable space and service and plant areas as non-habitable.

Where applying separation to buildings on adjoining sites, apply half the minimum separation distance measured to the boundary. This distributes the building separation equally between sites.

Considerations In Setting Building Separation Controls

Design and test building separation controls in plan and section

Test building separation controls for sunlight and daylight access to buildings and open spaces

Minimum separation distances for buildings are:

Up to four storeys (approximately 12m):

• 12m between habitable rooms/balconies

• 9m between habitable and non-habitable rooms

• 6m between non-habitable rooms

Five to eight storeys (approximately 25m):

• 18m between habitable rooms/balconies

• 12m between habitable and non-habitable rooms

• 9m between non-habitable rooms

Nine storeys and above (over 25m):

• 24m between habitable rooms/balconies

• 18m between habitable and non-habitable rooms

• 12m between non-habitable rooms

Building separation may need to be increased to achieve adequate sunlight access and enough open space on the site, for example on slopes.

Increase building separation proportionally to the building height to achieve amenity and privacy for building occupants and a desirable urban form.

At the boundary between a change in zone from apartment buildings to a lower density area, increase the building setback from the boundary by 3m.

No building separation is necessary where building types incorporate blank party walls. Typically this occurs along a main street or at podium levels within centres.

Required setbacks may be greater than required building separations to achieve better amenity outcomes.

Part 2 Developing The Controls