Hilltops · New South Wales · Preliminary planning report

Preliminary planning report for Hilltops, NSW

A $199 desktop planning assessment for any address in Hilltops. We take the parcel from the state cadastre, sweep the zoning and overlay mapping at the parcel, read the LEP, DCP and the SEPPs in force and cite it by clause, and set out in writing what was checked and what was not. Prepared and professionally reasoned by a town planner and delivered within one business day.

Get the $199 report for a Hilltops address Request a call

From the NSW Planning Portal

What Hilltops council decided in the last 12 months

Every application with a determination date between 9 September 2025 and 9 September 2026, as published by the NSW Planning Portal: 176 development applications and 27 modification applications.

Determined: 203; applications decided
Median stated cost: $66,000; declared cost of development, 193 applications
Time to decide: 46; median days, lodgement to decision on a DA

Most common development types

Development type	Determined
Erection of a new structure	121
Dwelling house	60
Shed	42
Subdivision	37
Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure	32
Garage, carport or carparking space	24

One application can carry several development types.

Most recent determinations

Shed in Harden
8 September 2026 · Determined (outcome not published by the portal)
Garage, carport or carparking space in Harden
8 September 2026 · Determined (outcome not published by the portal)
Shed in Harden
8 September 2026 · Determined (outcome not published by the portal)
Shed in Young
2 September 2026 · Determined (outcome not published by the portal)
Shed in Young
31 August 2026 · Determined (outcome not published by the portal)

NSW Planning Portal Online DA data, fetched 9 September 2026; determinations between 9 September 2025 and 9 September 2026. The portal records that an application was determined, not whether it was approved or refused. Compare every NSW council

What governs a site in Hilltops

In New South Wales, what a site can be used for is set first by the council’s Local Environmental Plan, which zones the land and carries the standards with legal weight, and then by its Development Control Plan, which holds the more detailed design controls. Above both sit the State Environmental Planning Policies, which apply across the state and can override a local plan.

The state policies most likely to matter for a residential or small development site are the Housing SEPP 2021, the Exempt and Complying Development Codes SEPP 2008, the Resilience and Hazards SEPP 2021, the Biodiversity and Conservation SEPP 2021 and the Transport and Infrastructure SEPP 2021. Which of them touch a given parcel depends on the mapping at that parcel, which is why the report sweeps the layers rather than reading the zone alone.

The NSW Planning Portal is the state’s official planning system, where the LEP maps and the state policy layers are published.

The instruments the report reads in New South Wales

Local Environmental Plan (LEP) · zoning and the principal development standards
Development Control Plan (DCP) · the council’s detailed design controls
Housing SEPP 2021 · state housing policy
Exempt and Complying Development Codes SEPP 2008 · the exempt and complying pathways
Resilience and Hazards SEPP 2021 · hazards and contamination
Biodiversity and Conservation SEPP 2021 · vegetation, koala habitat and waterways
Transport and Infrastructure SEPP 2021 · infrastructure and transport corridors

Council website: www.hilltops.nsw.gov.au

How the report works for a site in Hilltops

The same five steps for every site in Australia, applied to the LEP, DCP and the SEPPs that governs Hilltops. Nothing is stated that was not checked. stated.

Step 1
Parcel from the state cadastre
We take the parcel from the state cadastre and project it, so the report is about the lot itself and not a point on a street.
Step 2
Zoning and overlays swept at the parcel
The zoning and overlay mapping is swept at the parcel boundary, not at a single point, so a layer that touches one corner of the block is caught.
Step 3
The instrument in force, cited by clause
We read the planning instrument in force and cite it by clause, with its version and date, so every statement in the report can be checked at the source.
Step 4
Nearby applications where a public register exists
Where the council keeps a public register of applications, we read the nearby ones and cite what we found. We do not hold a database of decisions for the council.
Step 5
The provisions, quoted
Every rule the answer depends on is quoted from the instrument in force, with the clause named, so the answer can be checked against the source.
Two reports, one price
Have a plan, or not yet?
The Preliminary Planning Report assesses the project you describe. The What’s Possible report sets out the scenarios the site supports when you have not settled on one. Both are $199 and both follow the five steps.
Get the What’s Possible report for Hilltops

The decision figures above are read from the NSW Planning Portal, which records that an application was determined but not the outcome. The report reads the applications near your site and cites what it found. Our free block checker covers South East Queensland only, so it is not offered for Hilltops.

Taking a Hilltops project through to lodgement

DA projects are quoted individually. We take a limited number at a time so each gets a director’s attention, and we reply within one business day with availability.

The usual order is the report first, then the conversation. The report gives both of us the site facts before anyone is briefed.

Start with the $199 report Request a call

Planning reports in Hilltops: FAQs

What governs what I can build in Hilltops?

What does the $199 report check for a site in Hilltops?

Five things, for every site. The parcel is taken from the state cadastre and projected. The zoning and overlay mapping is swept at the parcel boundary rather than at a point. The planning instrument in force is read and cited by clause, with its version and date. Where a public register of applications exists, nearby applications are read and cited. And the report states in writing anything it did not check.

How long does the report take?

One business day. Each report is prepared and professionally reasoned by a town planner for the specific parcel; it is not generated on the spot.

Do you publish approval rates or decision data for Hilltops?

Partly. This page shows how many applications Hilltops council determined in the last 12 months, the median days from lodgement to decision and the most common development types, read from the NSW Planning Portal. The portal records that an application was determined but not whether it was approved or refused, so no approval rate is published for Hilltops. The report reads the nearby applications and cites what it found.

Can I use the free block checker for a Hilltops address?

No. The free block checker covers South East Queensland only and is not offered for Hilltops. For a site in Hilltops the $199 report is the way to get a checked answer.

Can Casa run my development application in Hilltops?

DA projects are quoted individually. We take a limited number at a time so each gets a director’s attention, and we reply within one business day with availability.

Neighbouring councils in New South Wales

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For your Hilltops address

Know your Hilltops site before you commit

A $199 report for any address in Hilltops: the parcel, the zoning and overlays at the parcel, the LEP, DCP and the SEPPs cited by clause. Prepared and professionally reasoned by our planning team and delivered within one business day.

Get the $199 report Request a call