AMCORD document for residential development

1 AMCORDA national resourcedocument for residentialdevelopment Commonwealth of Australia 1995: Original Publication: ISBN 0 644 45276 5 Commonwealth of Australia 1997: This CDROM Application: ISBN 0 642 26671 9 This work is copyright. It may be reproduced in whole or in part for study or training purposes, or by State, Territory and localgovernment officers for work related purposes, subject to the inclusion of an ackn owledgement of the source and no commercialusage or sale. Reproduction for purposes other than those indicated above, requires the written permission from the AustralianGovernment Publishing Service.

2 Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction rights should be directed to the Manager,Commonwealth Information Services, Australian Government Publishing Service, GPO Box 84, Canberra ACT Application produced by Creation Corporation Pty Limited from material originally produced by the AustralianGovernment Publishing. Please note that all page numbers listed in tables of content refer to the ORIGINAL Corporation Pty Limited ACN 064 312 438 Trading as Total Quality Multimedia3/3 Illidge Place FLOREY ACT 2615 AUSTRALIAT elephone: +61 6 258 8874 Fax: +61 6 258 8854 Email : of ContentsA planning Blueprint1 The Urban Management Framework5 AMCORD For Different Users7 Implementation by State/Territory and Local residential Part 1 to Local the Performance Part 2 to Local Housing and Context and Site ElementsNeighbourhood planning and planning and Movement and Integrated Catchment Management117 Streetscape, Site planning and and Neighbourhood planning and Building Design147 Acknowledgements211 Glossary215 References219 ForewordPrefaceOverviewPar t 1:Setting the ContextPar t 2.

3 Design ElementsReference MaterialIndexPrefaceFollowing the publication of AMCORD Editions 1and 2, and AMCORD URBAN, the CommonwealthGovernment has maintained its commitment toproducing national guidelines for housingdevelopment. The result, AMCORD A NationalResource document for residential development ,is a comprehensive document that can be adaptedand adopted by State/Territory and localgovernments. AMCORD is applicable to all forms ofhousing other than high-rise development , andbuilds on, reviews and integrates the the 1990s, the housing anddevelopment industry has been responding to theneeds of changing housing markets and to growingcommunity demand for more sustainable residentialenvironments.

4 Concurrently, variousCommonwealth, State/Territory and localgovernment initiatives have led to significantimprovements in the planning and development ofour urban has therefore been able to draw uponthe considerable practical experience gainedthrough hundreds of demonstration projects acrossAustralia, as well as important advances into the design process. It also includes new DesignElements relating to neighbourhood planning andstormwater management, and a number of otherimportant site planning and design response to requests for AMCORD to providemore specific information based on best practice,Practice Notes have been developed containing casestudies and additional material considered relevant planningand development atthe local from a majorreview of the strategicor upfront planningframework asoutlined in Part 1.

5 AMCORD simplifiesand clarifies theperformance-basedapproach applicableOverviewA planning BlueprintThe Urban Management FrameworkAMCORD For Different UsersImplementation by State/Territory and LocalGovernmentsAMCORD OverviewA planning BlueprintA planning BlueprintPurposeAMCORD A National Resource document forResidential development (known as AMCORD )has been produced to advance the planning ,design, assessment and implementation ofresidential development other than high-risehousing (ie housing requiring lifts). It is for use bydesigners, builders, developers and governmentofficers responsible for housing development .

6 Theguidelines provided by AMCORD can be adapted(where necessary) to produce local codes, policiesand regulations, thus meeting the needs of Stateand Territory Governments, local authorities andthe housing and development , AMCORD provides: a process to achieve more efficient, effective,responsive and environmentally sustainableapproaches to housing and residentialdevelopment at the local level; a means of improving the quality and choice inhousing and residential environments, andensuring a high level of integration of housingwith other elements within the urbanenvironment; a framework, principles and processes for a moreconsistent regulator y environment for thoseseeking approval for residential a national resource document AMCORD aimsto achieve national objectives of sustainabledevelopment, social justice, micro-economic reformand efficiency in land use.

7 It proposes innovativeapproaches to design and regulation, andencourages more integration of planning andcontrol processes. Importantly, it provides thevehicle for disseminating nationally the results ofcurrent housing research as well as information on best practice throughout OverviewA planning BlueprintStakeholdersThe major stakeholders in urban development -residents, State/Territory Governments, localauthorities, and the housing and developmentindustry - have a diversity of needs and interests,which include: sustainable environments; affordable housing for a changing population; making better use of existing infrastructurethrough more compact towns and cities; better access to public transport.

8 Preserving the quality of the urban environment; protecting existing lifestyles; greater development control to protect privacyand amenity; less development control to reduce costs; faster processing of applications; greater consistency in regulation of developmentacross local and State boundaries; more consultation with the community potentiallyaffected by development ; developer contributions to cover public costs ofdevelopment; flexibility to come some way towards meeting such needsand interests, there often have to be trade-offs andcompromises. For example, cost-effective methodscannot be guaranteed if controls are too rigid orstandards too high.

9 AMCORD provides a basis formaking these judgements through the promotionof a performance-based approach to design OverviewA planning BlueprintUpdating the DocumentsAMCORD is the Australian Model Code ForResidential Dev replaces both AMCORD Edition 2 (1990) andAMCORD URBAN: Guidelines for Urban Housing(1992). AMCORD Edition 2 had an emphasis onsubdivision for single-lot housing where the lotarea per dwelling was greater than 300 m . AMCORD URBAN was produced as a provisionaldocument, and began where the conventionaldetached house on a typical suburban lot ended. Itcovered a wide variety of urban housing terraces,town houses, units, flats, apartments, and housingon lots with an area of 300m or , based on additional research andrevi ew, and on the comments received to bothAMCORD URBAN and a draft version (released asAMCORD 95), updates the information in bothdocuments, removes ambiguities, and combinesboth documents in a common comprises two documents, each inits own ring binder.

10 The first and maindocument has the following components:OverviewPart 1: Setting the ContextPart 2: Design ElementsReference OverviewA planning BlueprintSetting the ContextPart 1 is intended to serve a wide audience,including Commonwealth, State and TerritoryGovernments and local planning and servicingauthorities, as well as the community. Its focus ison a planning process designed to reconcile thedi verse interests in residential dev shows that the implementation ofinnovative ideas outlined in codes is often stifledbecause of outdated or poorly structured planningprocesses. Codes must be supported by up-to-date and relev ant approaches to strategic anddev elopment 1 outlines a recommended approach tofacilitating residential development .