The purpose of this guide is to describe the documentation required to be submitted in a Development Application to meet the requirements of State Environmental Planning Policy 65 (SEPP 65), the Apartment Design Guide (ADG) and associated regulations.
Use this guide where a proposed building to which SEPP 65 applies overshadows an apartment building. The guide explains how the ADG solar access objectives, design criteria and design guidance are applied when documenting and assessing overshadowing of neighbouring apartments.
The ADG requires that overshadowing of neighbouring properties is minimised during mid winter. The associated design guidance sets out a practical way in which this can be demonstrated. It describes four steps that must be followed:
1. Measure existing and proposed compliance with the solar criteria
2. Maintain compliance with the solar criteria (which allows some reductions)
3. Make other allowable reductions
4. Minimise overshadowing and document options where the above criteria are not met
The solar criteria are:
• Living rooms and private open spaces of at least 70% of apartments in a building receive a minimum of 2 hours direct sunlight between 9am and 3pm at mid winter [the “2 hours of sun” category];
• A maximum of 15% of apartments in a building receive no direct sunlight between 9am and 3pm at mid winter [the “no sun” category]; and
• Developments achieve a minimum of 50% direct sunlight to the principal usable part of the communal open space for a minimum of 2 hours between 9pm and 3pm on 21 June (mid winter)