Belfast·SPG003 Residential Design·Page 43·3.1.52
Definition between public and private space in housing layouts
Housing layouts should maintain clear distinction between public streets and private residential space, using front gardens or defensible space as buffers, with on-street car parking to allow walls and hedges to articulate boundaries.
Housing layouts should seek to maintain a clear definition between the public or civic realm of the street and private space associated with the individual residential units. Front gardens, or other forms of defensible space, of even modest size, can provide an effective buffer to the street, particularly if car parking can be accommodated on street, thus enabling boundaries to be articulated with walls and hedges.
Source — /Users/richardhill/Documents/planning-arch-project/data/documents/belfast/SPG003 Residential Design.pdf