Visual Privacy

Visual privacy allows residents within an apartment development and on adjacent properties to use their private spaces without being overlooked. It balances the need for views and outlook with the need for privacy. In higher density developments it also assists to increase overall amenity.

Visual privacy balances site and context specific design solutions with views, outlook, ventilation and solar access. The adjacent context, site configuration, topography, the scale of the development and the apartment layout all need to be considered.

Visual privacy is an important factor for residential amenity.

The siting of buildings needs to ensure adequate separation between apartments

Adequate building separation distances are shared equitably between neighbouring sites, to achieve reasonable levels of external and internal visual privacy.

Any one development will have a variety of visual privacy conditions to be accommodated. Section A (minimum separation should be shared equitably between buildings) shows separation distances between apartments within the same site

Site and building design elements increase privacy without compromising access to light and air and balance outlook and views from habitable rooms and private open space.

Degrees of privacy are also influenced by a number of factors including the activities of each of the spaces where overlooking may occur, the times and frequency these spaces are being used, the expectations of occupants for privacy and their ability to control overlooking with screening devices.

New development adjacent to existing buildings should provide adequate separation distances to the boundary in accordance with the design criteria

Within the same site, minimum separation should be shared equitably between buildings. On sloping sites, appropriate separation distances ensure visual privacy for apartments on different levels

To resolve amenity impacts, apartment buildings should increase the building separation distance (+3m) when adjacent to a different zone that permits lower density residential development

Design Criteria

Separation between windows and balconies is provided to ensure visual privacy is achieved. Minimum required separation distances from buildings to the side and rear boundaries are as follows:

Note: Separation distances between buildings on the same site should combine required building separations depending on the type of room

Gallery access circulation should be treated as habitable space when measuring privacy separation distances between neighbouring properties.

Design Guidance

Generally one step in the built form as the height increases due to building separations is desirable. Additional steps should be careful not to cause a 'ziggurat' appearance.

For residential buildings next to commercial buildings, separation distances should be measured as follows:

• for retail, office spaces and commercial balconies use the habitable room distances.

• for service and plant areas use the non-habitable room distances.

New development should be located and oriented to maximise visual privacy between buildings on site and for neighbouring buildings.

Design solutions include:

• site layout and building orientation to minimise privacy impacts.

• on sloping sites, apartments on different levels have appropriate visual separation distances.

Apartment buildings should have an increased separation distance of 3m (in addition to the requirements set out in design criteria 1) when adjacent to a different zone that permits lower density residential development to provide for a transition in scale and increased landscaping.

Direct lines of sight should be avoided for windows and balconies across corners.

No separation is required between blank walls.

Diagrams showing different privacy interface conditions

Solid walls with non-habitable room windows are used for end elevations to manage privacy impacts between buildings. Solid balconies at lower levels provide better privacy from the street

Well designed fences and balconies provide privacy to apartments when viewed from the public domain or adjacent apartment buildings

Fencing of ground floor apartments should not be solid to allow

for surveillance of common open space and the public domain

Examples of solutions to increase privacy

Note: building separations are shown for up to 12m (4 storeys)

Design Guidance

Communal open space, common areas and access paths should be separated from private open space and windows to apartments, particularly habitable room windows. Design solutions may include:

• setbacks

• solid or partially solid balustrades to balconies at lower levels

• fencing and/or trees and vegetation to separate spaces

• screening devices

• bay windows or pop out windows to provide privacy in one direction and outlook in another

• raising apartments/private open space above the public domain or communal open space

• planter boxes incorporated into walls and balustrades to increase visual separation

• pergolas or shading devices to limit overlooking of lower apartments or private open space

• on constrained sites where it can be demonstrated that building layout opportunities are limited, fixed louvres or screen panels to windows and/or balconies.

Bedrooms, living spaces and other habitable rooms should be separated from gallery access and other open circulation space by the apartment’s service areas.

Balconies and private terraces should be located in front of living rooms to increase internal privacy.

Windows should be offset from the windows of adjacent buildings.

Recessed balconies and/or vertical fins should be used between adjacent balconies.

Part 3 Siting The Development