Can anybody point to a simple reference that sets out the setbacks for an R40 development? I've trawled through literally hundreds of pages on the subject, and am none the wiser. I'm also not really clear on how to apply a street setback, when planning a triplex strata. I'm assuming the setbacks must be a lot lower than R20? Nearby block has already been split into 3 blocks of around 225sqm.
From memory r40 is a 4m average front setback but you can bring the house forward to 2.5m with garage at 4.5m
Hi BigAussie, I know the feeling! Here is a link to the R-Codes. https://www.planning.wa.gov.au/dop_pub_pdf/State_Planning_Policy_3.1-Residential_Design_Codes.pdf The clause you are looking for is 5.1.2 Street Setbacks (page 17), and this has to be read in conjuction with 5.2.1 Setbacks for Garages and Carports (page 22). There is also a little diagram which explains 'compensating space,' which is important to know. You can find the setback requirements in Table 1 (page 59). Just gotta make sure you know the difference between a primary street and secondary street. Finally, many local councils also vary their front setbacks. Cheers, Angad
Average is 4m front, minimum 2m. Garage must be 0.5m behind the dwelling facade and not more than 50% of the frontage including side piers - otherwise set at 4.5m if it doesn't meet the above. Secondary street setback is 1.0m (any length) and 1.5m for garages - always 1.5m to any truncation. Boundary walls are 2/3 length of the boundary behind the front setback line - so if the block is 25m deep, you can build to two-thirds of 21m (25-4) - or 14m. Is the neighbouring lot you are adjacent to is still at a base coding (ie is zoned R20/40 but not yet developed) then you can only build to a max of one third or 9m whichever is lesser per R20 regs.
What the others said. It may be beneficial to do some design work first to work out the best sizes of each block for the strata blocks rather than designing the strata then forcing the design to fit to those boundaries. So 1. check page 59 of rcodes and accompanied explanations for setbacks 2. check with Council if their Town Planning Scheme has anything which overrides those (quite a few do - just call up and ask) and other items to do with subdivision 3. consider design, especially the front lot to cater for those setbacks
The property we're looking at is around 670sqm. It will allow Triplex, just. But we are leaning towards Duplex. It is 20m frontage which would give two reasonable Gree-Title blocks, and allow for two nice homes. The problem with a Triplex, is that by the time you allow for the front set-back, and a common drive, the rear blocks become tiny. And this is a family area, with good demand for family homes.
I don't know the area specifically but it sounds like you are on track. In my area I have seen some properties developed to max capacity and they did not go down well with the locals. Sometimes it is better to build less but build what the market wants.
Ok, so that one fell through, so onto plan B (or maybe plan Z by now.) Slightly larger block, around 750sqm, on a corner. So block is something like 38m x 19.6m What I still don't understand is the application of Primary and Secondary streets, in a triplex or duplex, where each has street frontage. AM I still allowed to treat the short end as primary and the long as secondary? Otherwise I'd lose 30% of the block to setback.
Front setbacks are the one setback where you can use the ins and outs of the imaginary border line to calculate the setback. I think it was mentioned above and you use it so you don't lose that 30% So one part of the house might be 5m back (like the garage) but a lot of the house might be at 3m and the entrance at 4m or something like that. You need to read the explanatory guidelines and look at the documents and it will make a lot of sense. The primary street where will be how the house addresses the street. So you could have one house have front door to short but garage to the long 38m side - the short 19.6m boundary would be primary street as that is where the front door faces. Or the garage and the front door face the short 19.6m boundary or the garage off the 19.6m boundary and the front door off the 38m boundary then the shorter boundary is secondary and the longer boundary is primary. But honestly if this house is R40 and on a corner you will end up with more land than if you had a common driveway as on the common driveway situation garages are around 6m from boundary and with a street the garages only need to be 5m so you gain 1m. With the dwelling part off a common driveway it can only be 4m off the boundary as the driveway must be 3m + 0.5m landscaping either side BUT with a corner block and averaging you could have the dwelling part at 3m set back. You will be able to have a great design 3 x 2 x 2 maybe even squeeze in a study on one with such a block
I'll upload a site plan for something I did in 2011. R40 corner site quite different dimensions but you can see the setbacks
C2.1 Buildings set back from the primary street boundary: iv. in the case of areas coded R15 or higher, where: • a grouped dwelling has its main frontage to a secondary street; the street setback may be reduced to 2.5m, Am I reading this correctly? Where the end triplex unit faces the secondary street, I can reduce the setback to 2.5m?
No, only the common driveway; ie a unit fronts a common access. 2.5m to habitable rooms, 1.5m porch, vdah or equiv.
