Western Sydney

Town planner in The Hills Shire

Statements of Environmental Effects, development due diligence, duplex, granny flat, townhouse and subdivision DAs across the The Hills Shire local government area. Fixed-fee proposals, usually within one business day.

Local Environmental PlanThe Hills Local Environmental Plan 2019

Development Control PlanThe Hills Development Control Plan 2012

Release areasThe Box Hill and North Kellyville precinct provisions

Planning in The Hills Shire

The Hills is the home of the knock-down rebuild, with large R2 lots in Castle Hill, Baulkham Hills and Kellyville, and the council's DCP is detailed on setbacks, garages and streetscape.

Dual occupancy and subdivision rules under The Hills LEP 2019 turn on minimum lot size and frontage; the Box Hill and North Kellyville release areas have their own precinct controls.

Rural and rural-residential land in Dural, Kenthurst and Glenhaven brings bushfire, effluent and lot size issues that change the pathway.

What we do for The Hills Shire sites

Statements of Environmental Effects for new houses, knock-down rebuilds, alterations, dual occupancies, secondary dwellings and townhouses, written to The Hills Local Environmental Plan 2019 and The Hills Development Control Plan 2012.
Development due diligence reports before you buy: zoning, permissibility, yield, constraints and the approval pathway.
Dual occupancy and duplex planning, including minimum lot size and frontage checks, CDC eligibility under the Low Rise Housing Diversity Code and Torrens subdivision advice.
Granny flat planning where the site does not fit the Housing Code and a DA is needed.
Townhouse and multi dwelling housing yield testing, DCP compliance and SEE reports.
Subdivision, Clause 4.6 requests, DA or CDC advice and responses to council requests.

Suburbs we cover in The Hills Shire

Castle Hill
Baulkham Hills
Kellyville
North Kellyville
Rouse Hill
Box Hill
Beaumont Hills
Bella Vista
Norwest
Glenhaven
Dural
Kenthurst
West Pennant Hills
Winston Hills
Gables

How a DA works in The Hills Shire

Development applications are lodged through the NSW Planning Portal and assessed by the council against the LEP, the DCP and the section 4.15 matters in the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979. Where a proposal meets every standard in the Codes SEPP it may instead be approved as complying development by a private certifier, which is faster but has no room for merit assessment. We check both pathways before recommending one.

A complete application is the single biggest thing an applicant controls. Our Statements of Environmental Effects address the LEP and DCP in the order the assessing officer reads them, with the sources shown, so requests for information are the exception rather than the rule.

Frequently asked questions: The Hills Shire

Do I need a Statement of Environmental Effects for a DA in The Hills Shire?

Yes. Every development application lodged with The Hills Shire council through the NSW Planning Portal needs a Statement of Environmental Effects that addresses The Hills Local Environmental Plan 2019 and The Hills Development Control Plan 2012. Complying development certificates do not.

Can I build a duplex in The Hills Shire?

Dual occupancies are permissible with consent in most R2 and R3 zones, subject to the minimum lot size and frontage in The Hills Local Environmental Plan 2019 and the DCP controls. Since 1 July 2024 the state-wide dual occupancy provisions also apply to most R2 land. A site check confirms whether your lot qualifies and whether CDC or DA is the pathway.

Which planning controls apply in The Hills Shire?

The zoning, lot size, height and floor space ratio come from The Hills Local Environmental Plan 2019; setbacks, site coverage, landscaping, privacy, parking and stormwater come from The Hills Development Control Plan 2012, and in the release areas from the Box Hill and North Kellyville precinct provisions. State policies such as the Codes SEPP and the Housing SEPP sit over the top.

Do you visit sites in The Hills Shire?

Most planning reports are desktop based, using the survey, drawings, aerial imagery and the Planning Portal. We inspect where access, slope, trees or neighbouring development make it worthwhile, and we work with local surveyors and engineers across The Hills Shire.

Instrument names are stated as current at the time of writing. Councils amend their LEPs and DCPs; we confirm the version in force on the date of each report.