The London Housing Federation has published a report on high-density affordable housing that calls for at least two “family rooms” to be provided for a five-person dwelling.

The types of family rooms called for are living and dining rooms and combined kitchen/diners, but not working kitchens.

The Housing Corporation and the Greater London Authority are considering whether to adopt the report’s standards as part of their own development guidance.

The 43-page report, entitled Higher Density Housing for Families, also points out that architects must design privacy into high-density accommodation.

The report says gardens, balconies and rooms at the internal corners of courtyards can suffer from lack of privacy and lack of sunlight.

It also recommended that only one surface parking space be provided for every two dwellings in schemes with a density of more than 150 dwellings a hectare.

The recommendations, which cover dwelling interiors, shared spaces, access and services, are tabulated according to six forms of dwelling, ranging from homes set in their own gardens to shared lift-access blocks for 150 people or more.

The design guide sets out to avoid the mistakes made in high-rise housing estates of the 1960s and 1970s.

Laura Hare, who commissioned the report, said: “Many of the recommendations are in everyone’s head, but this report draws them together for the first time. Things that make places livable are not wildly glamorous.”

The report was compiled by housing consultant Helen Cope, architect Levitt Bernstein Associates and quantity surveyor Walker Management.

A follow-on report outlining the additional development costs will be accessible next month on www.housing.org.uk/london.