Check out the planning permission granted to the units you have seen for the conditions attached. You can search online for these.
It's going back a few years now, but know of one instance where planning was granted for a granny flat to the rear of a residential property. The conditions attached stated that the flat must at all times be occupied by a member of the extended family, and it was explicitly prohibited to let it out. That quoted section 14.18.0 of the City Development Plan 1999.