Guidelines for Usage of Car Porch Roofs in Landed Housing Developments

Circular No : URA/PB/2014/23-DCG
Our Ref : DC/ADMIN/CIRCULAR/PB_14
Fax : 6227 4792

CIRCULAR TO PROFESSIONAL INSTITUTES

Who Should Know:
Home owners, developers, qualified persons, landscape architects, builders

Effective Date:
With effect from 17 Nov 2014

1. Car porches in landed houses can be located within the front building setback area¹ as single storey, unenclosed structures that will not add excessive building bulk to the streetscape. Their primary purpose is to provide shelter for residents’ vehicles. However, existing guidelines only allow the roofs of these car porches to be accessible for maintenance purposes.

2. To provide home owners the opportunity to enjoy more outdoor space and provide greenery, URA has revised our guidelines for car porch roofs in landed houses. Home owners will now be able to use their car porch roofs as outdoor balconies or gardens. This is in line with the objectives of the LUSH 2.0 Programme to encourage more greenery in our urban environment.

Details of Revised Guidelines

3. The car porch roof is to remain as an open-to-sky and unenclosed area, with no significant increase to the building bulk. Minor works as listed in Appendix 1 [PDF, 22.85 KB] ↗ (opens in new tab) are allowed. For semi-detached and terrace houses, where one side of the car porch is abutting the neighbour’s boundary, a 1.8m high light-weight screen wall shall be built to provide the neighbour with some privacy unless the adjoining neighbour agrees to do without the screen wall.
   
   Allowable structures on car porch roof

Implementation 

4. The guidelines will take immediate effect from 17 Nov 2014 and will apply to all existing as well as new landed housing developments. The minor works on the car porch roofs will be exempted from the need to submit to URA for planning permission, as long as they are carried out in accordance with the guidelines in Appendix 1 [PDF, 22.85 KB] ↗ (opens in new tab). 

5. Before using or carrying out works on existing car porch roofs, home owners should seek advice from a professional structural engineer or registered architect on whether these roofs are designed to bear additional loads from human access and the additional works. Approval from BCA may be required for the proposed works. For good neighbourliness, we encourage home owners to seek their immediate neighbour’s views on the need for a screen wall between adjoining car porch roofs before proceeding with works.

6. I would appreciate it if you could convey the contents of this circular to the relevant members of your organisation. If you or your members have any queries concerning this circular, please call our Development Control Group (DCG) Enquiry Line at Tel: 6223 4811 or e-mail us at ura_dcd@ura.gov.sg ↗ (opens in new tab). For your information, our past circulars and guidelines are available from our website http://www.ura.gov.sg ↗ (opens in new tab).

Thank You.

HAN YONG HOE
GROUP DIRECTOR (DEVELOPMENT CONTROL)
for CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
URBAN REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

^{1 All landed houses must provide a minimum building setback from the road reserve line. This is typically set at 7.5m for landed houses fronting a minor local access road. Car porches in landed houses are allowed to be located closer to the road, at 2.4m from the road reserve line, and are to remain as a single storey structures.}