Guidance on Density Promotion and Town Cramming Prevention (Paragraphs 82-83)

The promotion of increased density in housing development, as advocated in the RDS, aims to achieve a more sustainable form of development by encouraging compact urban forms and promoting more housing within existing urban areas, thereby supporting urban renaissance. The development of higher density housing should be appropriate in scale and design to the settlements in Northern Ireland. In established residential areas any increase in housing density needs to be handled sensitively, particularly the redevelopment of existing houses and infill sites. To prevent town cramming the overriding objective, as stated in the RDS, will be to avoid any significant erosion of the environmental quality, amenity and privacy enjoyed by existing residents. Where new modern developments are acceptable in principle, they should respect the form, scale and massing of adjacent housing and seek to safeguard privacy. To protect the distinctive townscape characteristics of Conservation Areas and Areas of Townscape Character, an increase in housing density will not normally be acceptable.