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UK: Nottingham City Council has approved new planning guidance for coliving, as the city prepares for more large-scale shared living developments.
Coliving schemes are described by the council as large, professionally managed residential developments made up of smaller private units supported by shared communal facilities.
The guidance has been produced because coliving is not specifically covered in national planning policy or Nottingham’s adopted Local Plan. The council says this has created uncertainty over how applications should be assessed and could lead to inconsistent decision-making if proposals come forward without a local framework in place.
The Informal Planning Guidance will be used to explain how existing planning policies should be interpreted when assessing co-living proposals. It applies to both new-build schemes and conversions of existing buildings, including purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA).
The council says the guidance is intended to support consistent decisions, improve transparency for applicants and communities, and set expectations on design, living standards, communal space and management arrangements. It also says the document should help reduce the risk of planning appeals and improve the council’s ability to defend decisions.
The guidance is not a new planning policy and does not have the same status as a Local Plan document or Supplementary Planning Document. Legal advice included in the decision report says it will be a material consideration when planning applications are decided, but will carry less weight than formal planning policy.
A consultation on the draft guidance took place from 12 March to 17 April, after the original four-week period was extended to take account of the Easter break. The council says it sought views from residents, statutory bodies, professional interests, institutional stakeholders, national coliving providers and elected members.
Following the consultation, the council amended the guidance. The final version makes clearer that it is guidance rather than policy, adds stronger evidence, introduces a tiered communal space standard depending on the size of a scheme, eases wording around unit mix, removes a needs test and retains 25 square metres as the minimum benchmark for studio accommodation.
The report says the guidance is intended to address concerns about small unit sizes and living standards by setting benchmarks for studio space and communal areas, while requiring schemes to show acceptable living conditions throughout both private and shared spaces. It also says robust management plans will be expected for the ongoing operation of coliving buildings.
Highlights:
• Nottingham City Council has approved new planning guidance for coliving, as the city prepares for more proposals large-scale shared living developments
• Coliving schemes are described by the council as large, professionally managed residential developments made up of smaller private units supported by shared communal facilities
• The council says the guidance is intended to support consistent decisions, improve transparency for applicants and communities, and set expectations on design, living standards, communal space and management arrangements
