Western Sydney

Town planner in Blue Mountains

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

Local Environmental PlanBlue Mountains Local Environmental Plan 2015

Development Control PlanBlue Mountains Development Control Plan 2015

State policiesCodes SEPP (Housing Code, Low Rise Housing Diversity Code), Housing SEPP 2021, low and mid-rise housing provisions

Planning in Blue Mountains

Almost every Blue Mountains lot is bushfire prone land, so a bushfire assessment and construction level sit alongside the SEE on most DAs.

The LEP's environmental living zones, protected area mapping and slope controls restrict site coverage and where a secondary dwelling can go.

Heritage conservation areas in Leura, Katoomba, Blackheath and Springwood are extensive and the DCP has character controls for each village.

What we do for Blue Mountains sites

Statements of Environmental Effects for new houses, knock-down rebuilds, alterations, dual occupancies, secondary dwellings and townhouses, written to Blue Mountains Local Environmental Plan 2015 and Blue Mountains Development Control Plan 2015.
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 Blue Mountains

Katoomba
Leura
Springwood
Blaxland
Glenbrook
Winmalee
Lawson
Hazelbrook
Wentworth Falls
Blackheath
Faulconbridge
Warrimoo
Lapstone
Mount Victoria
Bullaburra

How a DA works in Blue Mountains

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: Blue Mountains

Do I need a Statement of Environmental Effects for a DA in Blue Mountains?

Yes. Every development application lodged with Blue Mountains council through the NSW Planning Portal needs a Statement of Environmental Effects that addresses Blue Mountains Local Environmental Plan 2015 and Blue Mountains Development Control Plan 2015. Complying development certificates do not.

Can I build a duplex in Blue Mountains?

Dual occupancies are permissible with consent in most R2 and R3 zones, subject to the minimum lot size and frontage in Blue Mountains Local Environmental Plan 2015 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 Blue Mountains?

The zoning, lot size, height and floor space ratio come from Blue Mountains Local Environmental Plan 2015; setbacks, site coverage, landscaping, privacy, parking and stormwater come from Blue Mountains Development Control Plan 2015. State policies such as the Codes SEPP and the Housing SEPP sit over the top.

Do you visit sites in Blue Mountains?

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 Blue Mountains.

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.