CONTEXT AND JUSTIFICATION
In many areas of the City the strong demand for certain types of dwelling has led to pressures for the subdivision of large houses and flats and for the conversion of former houses that have latterly been used for multiple occupancies and offices into self-contained flats. Subdivision policies have been incorporated into the City’s local plans since the mid 1980s. These were put in place to ensure that good quality accommodation was provided, a range of housing size continued to be available and there were no adverse effects on residential amenity because of additional demands for car parking, refuse disposal, etc.
Proposals for the subdivision of buildings in another use for example, churches, offices, etc. to residential use, will also be assessed against this policy.
REQUIREMENT FOR PLANNING PERMISSION
Planning permission is always required for the subdivision of residential or non-residential properties into self contained dwellings.
It should be noted, however, that no planning permission is required to amalgamate two dwellings into one, although developers should always confirm this in writing with the Council.
POLICY
Applications to subdivide dwelling houses will be assessed against the following criteria:
STAGE 1: ASSESSMENT OF PROPOSED ACCOMMODATION
The Council’s first concern will be to ensure that proposals for subdivision offer a good quality of accommodation and preserve a good range of dwelling types. The following criteria should be met.
1. Original Living Space Only
To avoid the over-development of properties, the design for a subdivision shall involve only that space within a building that was originally intended for, or could have been used as, living space. This will mean that no subdivision should extend down into basement cellars or under-buildings, although extensions into lofts may be permitted, depending on local circumstances.
2. Front Aspect
All dwellings should have an acceptable aspect to both the front and rear of the building. This means that dwellings with their main aspect to the rear of the building will usually be unacceptable.
3. Daylighting
Each dwelling should have good natural lighting for ordinary domestic purposes.
4. Refuse Storage/Drying Facilities
There shall be facilities for the storage and collection of domestic refuse and drying facilities for each dwelling. This should be at the rear or side of the building (see policy RES 16: Bin Stores).
5. Internal Access to Front and Rear
There should be internal access from each dwelling to both the front and rear of the building to enable occupants to reach refuse and drying facilities. An exception may be made to this policy in detached or semi-detached properties where a path is provided around the side of the building to access the rear garden and bin store.
6. External Stairs or Refuse Chutes
There should be no external stairs or refuse chutes as these detract from the appearance of buildings.
7. Layout
The proposed layout must preserve the architectural integrity of the building. This implies, for example, that kitchens and bathrooms should be situated towards the rear of the building so that ventilators and service pipes or ducts do not disfigure either the front elevation or the interior.
8. Housing Mix
The proposed mix of dwelling sizes must be acceptable, having regard to the local housing situation and the characteristics of the building in question.
If all these criteria are met, consideration of the proposal will move to Stage 2.
STAGE 2: ASSESSMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS
Subdivision obviously increases the potential demand for car parking. If suitable provision is not made off-street, the result can be extensive on-street parking which spoils the appearance of street frontages. If back gardens or backcourt areas are wholly given over to parking space, however, the resultant loss of trees, greenery and stone boundary walls is just as detrimental to the quality of the environment.
Ideally, a proposal for subdivision should be able to satisfy the following criteria, which are intended to ensure a reasonable level of off-street parking provision without sacrificing the residential character of back gardens or backcourt areas.
9. Retention of Garden Ground
The amount of the back garden or backcourt area which should remain in use as garden ground should relate to the domestic requirements of the number of dwelling units to be provided. In areas that have large gardens, no less than 66% of the garden area should be retained, while in areas with smaller gardens (e.g. Strathbungo, Park and St Vincent Crescent Conservation Areas), no less than 50% of the garden area should be dedicated for this purpose (see guidance for Park and St Vincent Crescent Conservation Areas below).
10. Off-Street Parking Provision
Subdivisions should meet the appropriate car parking guidelines (see policy TRANS 4: Vehicle Parking Guidelines : Table 1(b)). Parking spaces should be provided within that part of the back garden or backcourt area not required for normal domestic use, subject to the provision of paragraph 9 above and to the provision of security gates.
11. Retention of Stone Boundary Walls
It should be possible to provide parking spaces without major demolition of stone boundary walls adjoining neighbouring gardens or access lanes. Thus, for example, complete removal of the wall adjoining a service lane to permit nose-in parking directly off the lane will normally be unacceptable.
12. Retention of Valuable Trees
Provision of parking spaces should not result in the removal of any trees which are important to the amenity of the area. Proposals for subdivision should include an accurate survey of trees in the back garden or backcourt area, so that it is clear which trees (if any) are affected.
Where the required level of car parking cannot be provided without conflict with the above criteria, it is likely to indicate an application which seeks to over-develop the building and/or its curtilage. In such cases, the number of flats should be reduced or the application is likely to be refused.
In all cases, applications must demonstrate that parking areas will be designed to a high standard. Attention will be paid to the boundary walls, gates, surface treatment and any additional landscaping that is required to integrate car parking with the character of the lane and building.
If a subdivision proposal meets all four of these Stage 2 criteria (having already met the Stage 1 requirements), the Council is likely to consider it favourably.
If one or more of the criteria in Stage 1 or Stage 2 are not met, a refusal of planning permission is likely, but the Council will proceed to Stage 3 before reaching a decision.
STAGE 3: CONSIDERATION OF SPECIAL FACTORS
Some instances may arise where it will be reasonable to grant planning permission for subdivision notwithstanding the impossibility of meeting all the criteria outlined in Stages 1 and 2. The following examples illustrate the kind of special factors which the Council may be prepared to take into account.
13. Very Large Houses
The City has many stone built houses which are very large by modern standards, for example, containing 12 or more apartments. The Council considers that the number of single households requiring accommodation of more than eight apartments (exclusive of kitchen and bathroom) is not large. It will, therefore, be willing to consider applications for the subdivision of intact, original houses of more than eight apartments into two new houses, even where no off-street parking provision can be made.
14. Properties Fronting Service Streets
Some terraces front onto a service street that runs parallel with the adjoining main road. In these cases, a combination of backcourt parking and parking on the service street could be acceptable if the combined total meets the one space per dwelling criteria.
FLATS
Maisonettes
The City still has many exceptionally large flats in terraces and tenements, usually in the form of maisonettes such as ground and basement flats, or top floor and attic flats. Applications to sub-divide these into 2 self-contained flats will be assessed against the standards set out in Stage 1 and 2 above.
Single Floor Flats
In some parts of the City, however, generously sized, single-floor flats are still much in demand. The Council aims to provide as wide a range of housing size as possible and particularly to retain the larger property sizes. As well as permanently removing larger units from the housing stock, the sub-division of flats within tenements and terraces places increased pressure on parking and communal facilities, such as refuse disposal and private amenity space, all to the detriment of the residential amenity of neighbours and the surrounding area. The Council, will therefore refuse planning permission for the sub-division of single floor flats, unless an applicant can demonstrate one or more of the following:
The property has been actively marketed, as a single self-contained flat without successful sale. Applicants will be expected to provide evidence that the flat has been marketed in the GSPC Guide or an estate agent’s list, for at least 3 months, and to provide copies to the Council of any offers received in that period; and
The repair/refurbishment costs for the flat are so great as to necessitate the intensification of residential use. Applicants will be asked to submit details of the costs of refurbishment.
LISTED BUILDINGS
In dealing with proposals affecting listed buildings, the need to safeguard the architectural character and integrity of the building imposes special considerations. On occasion, it may not be possible to meet all the criteria mentioned above because of the desirability of preserving architectural features or observing certain design criteria (see policy HER 3: Design Standards for Listed Buildings and Properties in Conservation Areas). In such cases, permission will normally be refused.
LOCAL AREA POLICIES
These policies derive from circumstances particular to these localities and the desire of the Council to retain a range of dwelling sizes in these areas. Restrictions on subdivision will apply to the following Conservation Areas:
West Pollokshields Conservation Area:
The subdivision of modern single or semi-detached villas will be prohibited, unless exceptional circumstances can be demonstrated.
Strathbungo Conservation Area:
The subdivision of terraced houses will normally be restricted to two self-contained units per original house.
The subdivision of the grade ‘A’ listed terrace at 1-10 Moray Place and the grade ‘B’ listed terrace at 12-16 Moray Place will not be permitted.
Millbrae Conservation Area:
The subdivision of terraced and tenemental properties at 5-27 and 2-16 Ailsa Drive and 1-19 and 2-46 Millbrae Crescent will not be permitted.
Park and St Vincent Crescent Conservation Areas:
The area required for off-street parking within the rear garden or backcourt shall not extend more than 9.144m from the centre line of the back lane; or take up more than 50% of the garden area, whichever is the smaller (see Stage 2 (9)).
Glasgow West Conservation Area:
Westbourne Gardens
Any subdivision of remaining whole houses shall only be on the basis of conversion into no more than two self-contained units.
No further subdivision of properties which have already been divided will be permitted.
Kingsborough Gardens
The subdivision of 1-41, 22-38 and 40-54 Kingsborough Gardens (inclusive) will not be permitted.
Kirklee Terrace
Further subdivision will only be allowed if it creates two houses of two floors each out of an original whole dwelling house.