Mauritius
Design Sheet
Residential Coastal Development
November 2004
Ministry of Housing and Lands
DESIGN SHEET
Residential Coastal Development
Land which fringes the shore is often the most desirable
location and is generally more sensitive than inland areas.
In addition, the character and quality of the coastal
road environment is an important element in the coastal
“experience”. Thus “transitional” guidance has been devised,
referring to differing areas of the coastal zone - Coastal
Frontage, Coastal Road and Inland. These locations are
illustrated in the left margin below.
The boundaries of Coastal Frontage areas are indicated on
plans incorporated in statutory planning schemes.
Definition of Coastal A. Coastal Frontage Land
Development Land
Normally the strip of land between the high water mark and
the nearest coastal road.
Consists of extremely fragile land where considerations of
visual impact, environmental disturbance and pollution
control are paramount. It is a key element in Mauritius’s
tourism product and it is equally popular with local people,
but the emphasis should be on sustainable development in
harmony with the environment.
B. Coastal Road Land
This includes those plots immediately fronting the coastal
road and located on the inland side of the road.
HWM
A. Coastal B. Coastal C. Inland C. Inland
Frontage Land Road Land
This includes those areas that may not have a coastal road
frontage but may still be visible from or relate to the coastal
road.
Design Factors
General
STEP 1 - Site Context All development should be designed so as to integrate well
into the topography and fragile landscape with as little
interference to the environment as possible.
STEP 2 - Design Objectives
The proposed development should be designed creatively
and comprehensively. All aspects of:
STEP 3 - Design Solutions • site context, including site constraints and
opportunities;
Typical Design Stages
• design objectives; and
• resultant design solutions;
should be demonstrated as having been considered and
adopted as the most appropriate solution for the particular
site in mind.
DESIGN GUIDANCE Residential Coastal Development
Ministry of Housing and Lands, November 2004
DESIGN SHEET
Residential Coastal Development
Natural Beach and Sea
sand
LWM edge Layout plans should show low water mark (LWM), high water
O mark (HWM) and the line of the highest edge of natural sand,
together with contour levels above mean sea level. Plan
scales should be not less than 1:500.
Jetties should only be constructed if approved by relevant
statutory authorities. Jetties should normally be on piles or
floating structures to allow proper water circulation.
No structure of any kind including fence, wall, or swimming
pool should be constructed on the beach between low
water mark and the highest edge of natural sand. This is to
ensure that the public have unrestricted access along the
beach frontage.
Sea defence measures, groynes or other structures projecting
into the sea and the creation of any artificial beach need the
approval of the regulatory authorities.
No structures should intrude
into the beach area between Development Height
low water mark and the highest
edge of natural sand. This is measured both in numbers of storeys and height in
metres. Restrictions are imposed on the proportion of building
volume that may reach the maximum height expressed as
A key policy objective is a percentage of the total building ground floor area. This
to secure/maintain public guidance is intended to promote variety in building volumes
access to public beaches and forms. Maximum height should also be related to
at no more than 500m - location, existing built environment and natural site features.
1km intervals. Wherever
possible, development Within Coastal Frontage areas, buildings and other ancillary
proposals should achieve structures should generally not exceed two floors (ground
this. These accesses plus one) plus additional accommodation (of no more than
would be used to facilitate
33% of ground floor area) that may be provided within the
access for fishermen and
the public to the sea, and roof space or a “penthouse” floor. If there is a pitched roof,
response to emergency at this should be no more than 13 metres in height from local
sea or other environmental ground level to the highest ridge.
emergencies.
Coastal Road plots should generally not exceed 3 floors
(ground plus two). Any pitched roof should not exceed 15m
height.
Inland plots should normally not exceed 4 floors (ground plus
+33% (G) 33% (of Ground two plus 50% (of ground floor area).
Floor Area)
Generally, pitched roofs are preferred.
As a general guide, the level of the lowest floor should
+1 normally be no less than one metre above the high water
mark.
Plot Size and Coverage
Ground
As a general guide, new residential plots in Coastal Frontage
areas should normally be no smaller than 1000m2 in area.
General development height
The sub-division of land resulting in plots smaller than this will
for buildings within the Coastal not normally be supported. However, exceptions to this may
Frontage Area. include for example:
DESIGN GUIDANCE Residential Coastal Development
Ministry of Housing and Lands, November 2004
DESIGN SHEET
Residential Coastal Development
Note that where this • Town centre and urban waterfront areas where
S symbol is placed, the height, plot size and density may vary for special
guidance provided “downtown”/waterfront areas, where buildings may
alongside it is already predominate, and a more urban character is
considered to be the appropriate.
minimum/maximum
• It can be demonstrated that all buildings proposed
acceptable and
would remain subservient to a quality landscape
should normally be
provided. setting.
• In the case of semi-detached development, the plot
size for each plot may be 265m2.
For Coastal Road and Inland areas, residential plots should
normally be no smaller than 235m2 in area: in the case of
semi-detached development the plot size for each plot may
be 210m2.
Plot coverage should not exceed 20% of the site area. When
calculating coverage, all enclosed spaces on the ground
floor shall be taken as 100% of their enclosed area on plan.
“Enclosed” means surrounded by walls and covered by a
roof. In the case of verandahs, porches, car ports and the
like, if they are covered by a roof, they should be included
as coverage. Where the verandah, porch, car port, etc.,
is backed by no more than one wall, the area should be
included as 50% of its plan area in the coverage calculation.
If backed or enclosed by two or more walls, the whole area
shall be included in the coverage calculation. Layout plans
must include site coverage calculations.
Setbacks
Buildings and structures should be located as far back as
Some “Soft Structures” may be practicable from the shoreline. The setting of structures back
acceptable within the 30 m from the shoreline offers various advantages:
HWM setback. Such structures
may include: • Efficient connection to hinterland service systems
• Jetties on piles • Reducing wind, salt and sand impact on structures
• Wooden “umbrellas” • Reducing impact on unstable soils
which are open,
supported by one pole S • Reducing interference with the flow of littoral sediments
that does not have a • Optimising pedestrian accessibility
concrete or hard base
• Minimising overshadowing.
• Slipways not exceeding
20cm above datum
DESIGN GUIDANCE Residential Coastal Development
Ministry of Housing and Lands, November 2004
DESIGN SHEET
Residential Coastal Development
Set back from HWM should be determined on a site by site
Residential Development Abasis but should normally C In S
B be a minimum of 30 metres.
cases of active
Coastal beach systems,
Frontage Coastal theRoad
setback mayInland
need to be
significantly increased to prevent erosion of the beach or loss
of property.
Maximum Building Height G + 1 + 33% (G) G+2 G+2+50% (G)
Max Building Height in metres 13m 15m 18m
Max Plot Coverage 20% 40% 40%
General Setbacks No less than30m No less than 30m
from HWM from HWM
From Main Road (Class A + B) 6m 6m 6m
Access Roads 4.5m 4.5m 4.5m
Lightly trafficked roads 3.0m 3.0m 3.0m
Side and rear boundaries 3.0m 2.0m 2.0m
Wind
Salt
Waves
Set back from HWM should High Water Mark
be determined on a site by
site basis but should normally P
be a minimum of 30 metres. 30m set back minimum
The setback should be well
landscapedwith appropriate
caostal vegetation that would
limit coastal erosion. S Setback from roads should normally be 6 m from main road (A or
B), and 4.5 m from adjoining public road. This may be relaxed to
The presence of rocky outcrops
in the beach and lagoon
3 m in the case of a lightly-trafficked road.
contribute to the distinctive Setback from side and rear boundaries should be 3 m. In
character of lagoon areas and
appropriate urban areas, this may be relaxed to achieve a
help maintain the stability of the
beach system breaking waves continuous street frontage.
and currents. The removal of
such features should be avoided Walls, Fences and Wind-breakers
Along road frontages and most particularly the coast road,
long expanses of uninterrupted walls and fences should be
avoided. Walls and fences should not create a “canyon” or
Details of all walls and fences “corridor”effect along roads. When walling or fencing is required,
should be shown on plans
solid areas should be kept to a minimum to avoid a hard
submitted for permit approval.
“urban” edge and allow views through to the beach and sea.
DESIGN GUIDANCE Residential Coastal Development
Ministry of Housing and Lands, November 2004
DESIGN SHEET
Residential Coastal Development
O P
Walls and fences should
not create a “canyon” or Walls and fences should remain
“corridor”effect along roads. as open as possible and views
from the coast road to the
beach and lagoon retained
To reduce the impact of
walls and fences within
Coastal Frontage and
Coastal road areas
keep them as low and
open as possible
Walls fronting the coastal Long expanses of wall surfaces should be offset and
road should be no more than architecturally designed to prevent monotony. Techniques
1.5 metres high. to avoid monotonous wall frontages may include: raised
planters, openings, material changes, staggered sections,
Walls and fences along the
and pilasters or posts. Boundary walls shall be constructed of
sea frontage should be no
local materials of good finish. No concrete block walls should
higher than 1.2m.
be constructed unless they are finished in plaster.
Side boundary walls in solid
Public access should be retained between the coastal road
materials (e.g. concrete,
and the beach and sea. These pedestrian “public beach
finished blocks etc) should
gateways” should be announced by pilasters, trellises, special
be no closer than 15m to the
landscaping, or other special features.
High Water Mark but may
be continued using wood
Roads and Car Parking
materials (e.g. picket fence).
No paved road or car park shall be constructed nearer than
The planting of green S 40 metres from the high water mark. Where this cannot be
hedges and other natural/
achieved the road or car park must be provided with a
landscaped boundary
grease trap to the satisfaction of the Ministry of Health.
treatment is encouraged.
Oil, diesel and petrol shall not be stored nearer than 30
metres from the high water mark and can only be stored with
the approval of the Fire Officer.
DESIGN GUIDANCE Residential Coastal Development
Ministry of Housing and Lands, November 2004
DESIGN SHEET
Residential Coastal Development
Infrastructure
Engineering and utility infrastructure services should be of a
high standard for coastal developments. Reference should
also be made to relevant Technical Sheets.
• Stormwater should be disposed of within the plot
boundary or to a centralised stormwater soakaway
system, and should not be allowed to flow to the
beach, adjacent plots or into road reserves
• Special care is needed to control surface water
drainage and engineering studies should be provided
to show the effect that drainage might have on the
coastal area
Natural drainage areas should • All drains should be equipped with silt traps,
be preserved. New utility sedimentation ponds and well engineered grids to trap
facilities, such as stormwater
solid waste
drains, should reflect the natural
landscape context. • On-site sewage and waste water disposal systems must
take account of soil characteristics. The use of septic
tanks may not be possible, or special designs might be
required
• Natural drainage areas (river valleys, water resources)
should be preserved with adequate green space
to protect existing riparian systems and to allow
O maintenance access. When natural areas are altered,
landscaping should be planted to reestablish the
previous riparian habitat. Walkways are encouraged to
facilitate pedestrian circulation through a site, and to
adjacent areas and properties
• Generally, existing vegetation and levels should not be
Sharp angles and uniform slope
banks appear unnatural
removed or altered. When this is unavoidable, building
projects should include rehabilitation works to replace
vegetation and sensitively re-model levels
P • Existing mature trees in good health and judged to
be cyclone-resistant, should be retained whenever
possible.
Note. For further advice regarding utility provision please refer
to the relevant Technical Sheets.
Slope changes should be kept Campement Sites
to a minimum and appear as
natural as possible A campement site is a plot of State Land in the Pas
Geometriques which has been leased to an individual for the
purpose of building a house.
Campement plots should not normally be divided, or used for
any use other than residential.
Campement plots should normally conform to all applicable
guidance set out above, plus the following:
DESIGN GUIDANCE Residential Coastal Development
Ministry of Housing and Lands, November 2004
DESIGN SHEET
Residential Coastal Development
• Generally, unless special circumstances dictate (such
as hardship) sub-division of an existing campement
plot will not be permitted if it results in sub-plots of less
P O than 300m2 (or 265m2 in the case of semi-detached
development)
• Only one vehicle access should normally be provided
to each main plot. Separate accesses to sub-plots will
not normally be acceptable
• Development should preferably be arranged as
separate detached (or semi-detached) residential
units on one or two floors. Each unit (or pair of units in
the case of semis) should be set a minimum of 2 metres
away from the side of any other adjoining buildings
• Each residential unit should provide appropriate utility
P O facilities, designed in accordance with relevant Utility
Separate accesses to individual Technical Sheets.
sub-divided campement plots
should be avoided whenever
possible.
Other Sensitive Areas
Natural features such as woodlands, rivers, streams and
wetlands, besides being valuable resources, are an important
part of the image of Mauritius.
In order to preserve and enhance any natural features, it is
essential to have an accurate inventory of them. To this end,
permit applications should indicate where existing natural
features are located.
The careful treatment of proposals adjacent to
Environmentally Sensitive Areas and Areas of Landscape
Significance can enhance the effect of these natural spaces
on the character of the site. By siting buildings with the
greatest possible setback adjacent to natural features, their
preservation and enhancement can be integrated with the
landscaping and management of the site. This treatment
can help to maintain effective landscape networks, increase
apparent frontage of the natural greenspace and at the
same time can dramatically enhance the setting, image and
value of properties.
Whilst each site will need to be assessed on its merits, it is
recommended that a landscaped building setback of at
least 30 metres should be provided adjacent to natural areas
such as wetlands.
A landscaped building setback
of no less than 30m should be
provided adjacent to natural
areas
Wetland
30m
DESIGN GUIDANCE Residential Coastal Development
Ministry of Housing and Lands, November 2004
