Dual occupancies and townhouses in Campbelltown are assessed under Campbelltown LEP 2015 and Campbelltown (Sustainable City) DCP 2015, with the Greater Macarthur Growth Area land at Menangle Park, Gilead and Mount Gilead sitting under separate precinct controls. The LEP sets the zone, the minimum lot size for a dual occupancy and where multi dwelling housing is permitted; the DCP sets the design controls. Since 2025 the State’s low and mid-rise housing standards also apply within 800 metres of the seven railway stations between Glenfield and Macarthur, which has changed what is possible on R2 land near the line.
Key takeaways
- Campbelltown LEP 2015 and Campbelltown (Sustainable City) DCP 2015 are the controls for the established suburbs from Glenfield to St Helens Park.
- Dual occupancies have been permissible in all R2 zones in NSW since 1 July 2024, and the LEP minimum lot size and DCP frontage controls decide whether a specific lot works.
- Since 28 February 2025 terraces, townhouses and manor houses are permissible in R2 zones within 800 metres of Glenfield, Macquarie Fields, Ingleburn, Minto, Leumeah, Campbelltown and Macarthur stations, with State non-refusal standards.
- Outside those catchments townhouses (multi dwelling housing) sit mainly in the R3 Medium Density Residential zone along the rail corridor.
- Koala habitat, bushfire prone land along the Georges River and Scenic Hills, and Bow Bowing and Bunbury Curran Creek flooding are the constraints that most often shape Campbelltown DAs.
Campbelltown in planning terms
Campbelltown runs along the Main South railway line and the Hume Motorway from Glenfield to the Nepean escarpment. For a house, duplex or townhouse project, it helps to think in four bands:
- Rail corridor suburbs: Glenfield, Macquarie Fields, Ingleburn, Minto, Leumeah, Campbelltown, Bradbury, Airds, Ambarvale, Rosemeadow, St Helens Park. Mixed R2, R3 and R4 zoning, older lots, and the seven stations that now anchor the low and mid-rise housing catchments.
- 1980s and 1990s estates: Raby, St Andrews, Eagle Vale, Eschol Park, Kearns, Bow Bowing, Woodbine, Claymore, Blair Athol. Mostly R2, standard 550 to 700 square metre lots, and strong dual occupancy demand.
- Glenfield precinct: the State-led rezoning around Glenfield station, with its own controls and higher densities.
- Greater Macarthur Growth Area: Menangle Park, Mount Gilead, Gilead and the land south towards Appin, planned under the Department’s Greater Macarthur Growth Area program with precinct-specific controls and koala corridor requirements.
Mount Annan, Currans Hill and Narellan Vale are in Camden Council, and Wilton is in Wollondilly, so a Macarthur address does not always mean Campbelltown LEP 2015 applies.
Dual occupancy under Campbelltown LEP 2015
Dual occupancies are permissible in the R2, R3 and R4 zones under the LEP, and since 1 July 2024 Stage 1 of the State’s Low and Mid-Rise Housing policy has confirmed permissibility in every R2 zone in NSW. The tests that decide a specific lot:
- Minimum lot size. The LEP sets a minimum lot area for a dual occupancy. Check the current clause and the lot size map; the figure differs between the R2 and R3 zones and in some localities.
- Subdivision. Torrens subdivision of a duplex depends on the LEP’s subdivision provisions and the minimum area for each resulting lot. Where Torrens is not available, strata subdivision generally is.
- Frontage and access. The DCP sets minimum frontages for attached and detached dual occupancies and for battle-axe lots, and it limits garage width as a share of the facade.
- Constraints. Bushfire prone land (common in Airds, Bradbury, Ruse, Kentlyn, Wedderburn and along the Georges River and Scenic Hills), flood planning areas along Bow Bowing Creek and Bunbury Curran Creek, and koala habitat mapping all add reports and can remove the complying development option.
Inside the Stage 2 catchments, a dual occupancy can also rely on the State non-refusal standards for lot size, height, FSR and setbacks. For a lot in Leumeah or Minto that narrowly misses the LEP minimum, that has made the difference between a single house and a duplex.
Townhouses: R3 land and the station catchments
Townhouses are multi dwelling housing in LEP terms. Campbelltown LEP 2015 permits multi dwelling housing in the R3 Medium Density Residential zone, which runs in bands along the rail corridor through Campbelltown, Leumeah, Minto, Ingleburn and Macquarie Fields, and in parts of the R4 zone. Historically it was prohibited in R2. Since 28 February 2025, Stage 2 of the Low and Mid-Rise Housing policy has made terraces, townhouses and manor houses permissible in R2 zones within 800 metres walking distance of nominated stations and centres in the Six Cities Region, and the Campbelltown stations are included. What that means in practice:
| Site | Townhouse permissibility | Controls that apply |
|---|---|---|
| R3 lot anywhere in Campbelltown | Permissible | Campbelltown LEP 2015 height and FSR; DCP design controls; State standards where the lot is also inside a Stage 2 catchment |
| R2 lot within 800 m walking distance of a station or nominated centre | Permissible since 28 February 2025 | State non-refusal standards for lot size, width, height, FSR and setbacks; DCP for matters the State standards do not cover |
| R2 lot outside the catchments | Not permissible (dual occupancy remains the option) | Campbelltown LEP 2015 and DCP 2015 |
| Greater Macarthur precinct land | Per the precinct plan | Precinct-specific controls, koala corridor and bushfire requirements |
The 800 metre catchment is walking distance, not radius, and it excludes heritage conservation areas and flood and bushfire affected land. A lot in Leumeah with a creek between it and the station may be outside. We map every site individually.
What the DCP asks of a townhouse design
Campbelltown (Sustainable City) DCP 2015 applies the usual medium density tests, and the ones that most often need work in the DAs we prepare are:
- Driveway width, passing bays and turning areas to AS 2890.1:2004, with swept paths for the waste vehicle where council collects from within the site.
- Deep soil and landscaped area, with canopy trees along the driveway and boundaries.
- Private open space per dwelling, north-facing where the site allows, with a minimum dimension.
- Solar access and privacy to neighbouring dwellings, shown with shadow diagrams and window-to-window separation.
- Stormwater with on-site detention and, in the creek catchments, a flood assessment setting finished floor levels.
- Adaptable and accessible dwellings in larger schemes.
A Statement of Environmental Effects with a compliance table against each control, and the civil and traffic inputs lodged with it, is the shortest route through Campbelltown’s assessment. Our townhouse and multi dwelling planning service covers the SEE, the pathway advice and the consultant coordination.
Koalas, bushfire and the Macarthur edge
Campbelltown has one of the healthiest koala populations in Sydney, along the Georges River and through the Scenic Hills and the Greater Macarthur corridor. Council’s koala plan of management and the growth area planning both protect movement corridors, and a DA that removes trees on the eastern or southern edges of the city will need an ecological assessment under SEPP (Biodiversity and Conservation) 2021. The same edges are bushfire prone, so a Bushfire Assessment Report to Planning for Bush Fire Protection 2019 is standard in Airds, Ruse, Kentlyn, Wedderburn, Rosemeadow and St Helens Park. Subdivision creating new lots on bushfire prone land is integrated development and goes to the RFS for a Bush Fire Safety Authority. The Campbelltown City Council website publishes the LEP, the DCP and the koala plan.
Frequently asked questions
Can I build a duplex in Campbelltown on an R2 lot?
Yes, dual occupancies are permissible in every R2 zone in NSW and under Campbelltown LEP 2015. The lot must meet the LEP minimum lot size and the DCP frontage and design controls, or sit within a Stage 2 station catchment where State non-refusal standards apply.
Are townhouses allowed in R2 zones in Campbelltown?
Only within 800 metres walking distance of Glenfield, Macquarie Fields, Ingleburn, Minto, Leumeah, Campbelltown and Macarthur stations and other nominated centres, where terraces, townhouses and manor houses have been permissible since 28 February 2025. Outside those catchments, townhouses sit in the R3 zone.
Do I need a koala or bushfire report for a Campbelltown DA?
If the lot is on the Bush Fire Prone Land Map you need a bushfire assessment. If it is mapped as koala habitat or the DA removes native trees on the eastern or southern edges of the city, expect an ecological assessment. Both are common in Airds, Ruse, Kentlyn, Wedderburn and St Helens Park.
Is Menangle Park under Campbelltown LEP 2015?
Menangle Park, Gilead and Mount Gilead are Greater Macarthur Growth Area precincts with their own precinct controls, koala corridor requirements and bushfire provisions, and estate lots there usually carry covenants. Check the s10.7(2) certificate for the instrument that applies.
URBA prepares Statements of Environmental Effects, pathway advice and townhouse and dual occupancy planning across Campbelltown and Macarthur, including the station catchments and the growth area edge. See our Campbelltown town planning page for how we work with council, or request a fee proposal for your site.