Is visitor parking required for a dual occupancy?
A dual occupancy has two dwellings, so you do not need to add another parking space specifically for visitors.
You still need to provide the required parking for the people living in each dwelling. The number of resident spaces depends on the number of bedrooms and the applicable parking requirements.
The separate visitor-parking requirement starts when a residential complex has four or more dwellings.
Reference: Planning (Residential Zones) Technical Specifications 2026 (NI2026–303), Assessment Outcome 27, Table 12 – Planning (Residential Zones) Technical Specifications 2026
Short Answer
No. A standard dual occupancy does not require a separate visitor parking space under the current 2026 Residential Zones Technical Specifications.
The visitor-parking requirement applies where a complex comprises four or more dwellings.
Detailed Explanation
The current document to use is the Planning (Residential Zones) Technical Specifications 2026 (NI2026-303).
Under the residential parking provisions, the specifications distinguish between resident parking and visitor parking.
The relevant visitor parking requirement is:
“One visitor space per four dwellings or part thereof where a complex comprises four or more dwellings.”
The important qualification is “where a complex comprises four or more dwellings.”
Therefore:
| Development | Visitor parking requirement |
|---|---|
| 1 dwelling | None under this provision |
| 2 dwellings – dual occupancy | None under this provision |
| 3 dwellings | None under this provision |
| 4 dwellings | 1 visitor space |
| 5–8 dwellings | 2 visitor spaces |
| 9–12 dwellings | 3 visitor spaces |
Accordingly, for a dual occupancy containing only two dwellings, the four-dwelling threshold is not reached and no separate visitor parking space is required by this particular visitor-parking provision.
This does not remove the requirement to provide the applicable resident parking spaces for each dwelling, or to comply with other relevant access, driveway, parking-location and design requirements.
No minimum block size does not remove the need for planning assessment.
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