Guidance

1. Garages should not extend beyond the front elevation or the rear elevation of the dwelling.

2. Garages should be aligned with the requirements set out in the diagram opposite, to provide a minimum width of 3.6m and a depth of 6m. This ensures passengers in a car’s front and rear can enter / exit cars easily when the car is parked in the garage (This aligns with Dartford Borough Council’s parking SPD)

3. If the garage is intended to satisfy bin storage and/or bicycle parking requirements, these can be accommodated through providing an additional width or depth as defined by the purple shaded areas in the diagram below ( bike provision should be 1 space per bedroom within the dwelling )

4. The enclosing walls of the garage structure should not be completely enclosed, to avoid the garage being used for general storage rather than accommodating a car. Aim for 50% of the garage door to be ‘open’.

5. Ground floor layouts should include habitable rooms with well sized windows onto the street(s), adjacent to any garage, to optimise passive surveillance and ensure there is a visual connection between residents homes and the street. Where the house types does not deliver this, the masterplan should avoid continuous runs of such housetypes.

6. Consider using detailing to the garage that is complimentary to the design nar rative / architectural language of the adjoining house.