Northern Beaches · New South Wales · Preliminary planning report
Preliminary planning report for Northern Beaches, NSW
A $199 desktop planning assessment for any address in Northern Beaches. 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.
From the NSW Planning Portal
What Northern Beaches 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: 1,160 development applications and 488 modification applications.
- Determined
- 1,652
- applications decided, plus 7 withdrawn or cancelled
- Median stated cost
- $484,000
- declared cost of development, 1,527 applications
- Time to decide
- 86
- median days, lodgement to decision on a DA
Most common development types
| Development type | Determined |
|---|---|
| Dwelling house | 1,012 |
| Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure | 984 |
| Erection of a new structure | 565 |
| Demolition | 330 |
| Residential Accommodation | 293 |
| Swimming pool | 147 |
One application can carry several development types.
Most recent determinations
Dwelling house in Palm Beach
7 September 2026 · Determined (outcome not published by the portal)
Dwelling house in Bilgola Plateau
7 September 2026 · Determined (outcome not published by the portal)
Dwelling house in Palm Beach
7 September 2026 · Determined (outcome not published by the portal)
Dwelling house in Clareville
7 September 2026 · Determined (outcome not published by the portal)
Residential flat building in Fairlight
4 September 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 Northern Beaches
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.northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au
How the report works for a site in Northern Beaches
The same five steps for every site in Australia, applied to the LEP, DCP and the SEPPs that governs Northern Beaches. 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 Northern Beaches
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 Northern Beaches.
Taking a Northern Beaches 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.
Planning reports in Northern Beaches: FAQs
What governs what I can build in Northern Beaches?
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 NSW Planning Portal is the state’s official planning system, where the LEP maps and the state policy layers are published.
What does the $199 report check for a site in Northern Beaches?
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 Northern Beaches?
Partly. This page shows how many applications Northern Beaches 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 Northern Beaches. The report reads the nearby applications and cites what it found.
Can I use the free block checker for a Northern Beaches address?
No. The free block checker covers South East Queensland only and is not offered for Northern Beaches. For a site in Northern Beaches the $199 report is the way to get a checked answer.
Can Casa run my development application in Northern Beaches?
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
Explore more
- Every council in New South Wales
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- Exempt and complying development in NSW
- Height, setback and site coverage rules in NSW
- Do I need a DA in NSW?
- What is in the Preliminary Planning Report
- Planning reports across Australia
- Planning reports in Victoria
- Planning reports in Western Australia
- Planning reports in South Australia
Know your Northern Beaches site before you commit
A $199 report for any address in Northern Beaches: 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.