In a multi-dwelling DA the driveway is assessed as a piece of engineering, not just a strip of concrete. Council development engineers check the width against the number of dwellings served, the gradient and transitions against AS 2890.1:2004, and whether a car and often a waste truck can get in, turn and leave in forward gear using swept path plots. Get those three things right on the DA drawings and one of the most common requests for information on townhouse projects disappears.
Key takeaways
- AS 2890.1:2004 allows domestic driveway grades up to 1 in 4 (25 per cent) with grade transitions, but many NSW DCPs cap internal driveways at a flatter grade, so check both.
- Changes of grade steeper than about 1 in 8 need transition sections so vehicles do not scrape at the crest or sag.
- Vehicles serving three or more dwellings are normally expected to enter and leave the site in a forward direction, which is what the swept path plot proves.
- Waste collection is a design driver: either bins are presented at the kerb within council limits, or a collection vehicle must be able to enter and turn on site.
- The vehicle crossing itself needs a separate council approval under section 138 of the Roads Act 1993, with construction to the council’s specification.
Start with how many dwellings the driveway serves
Driveway width is tied to the number of vehicles that will use it. Most DCPs and AS 2890.1 work along these lines:
- A single dwelling or a dual occupancy can usually share a single width driveway of around 3 metres, widening at the garage.
- Multi-dwelling housing generally needs a wider driveway near the street so two cars can pass, often 5.5 metres for the first section inside the boundary, then narrowing to a single lane with passing bays if the driveway is long.
- Where a driveway is longer than a set distance and serves several dwellings, councils look for a passing bay so a car entering does not have to reverse into the street.
The exact widths, and the point where a passing bay becomes mandatory, are in the DCP. Blacktown DCP 2015, The Hills DCP 2012, Penrith DCP 2014 and Campbelltown (Sustainable City) DCP 2015 each state their own figures, and Growth Centre precincts in Schofields, Box Hill and Austral use the precinct DCP instead. Read the one that applies before the footprint is fixed, because a 1.5 metre wider driveway removes 1.5 metres of building or landscaping across the whole site depth.
Gradients: what the standard allows and what councils actually accept
AS 2890.1:2004 is the parking standard that almost every NSW council adopts. For gradients the working figures are:
| Element | AS 2890.1:2004 guide | What we commonly see in DCPs |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum domestic driveway grade | 1 in 4 (25 per cent) with transitions | Often capped at 1 in 5 (20 per cent) or 1 in 6 for internal driveways in multi-dwelling housing |
| Grade within the road reserve (footpath crossing) | Set by the council crossing specification | Flatter, typically following the footpath and kerb profile |
| Change of grade without a transition | Up to about 1 in 8 (12.5 per cent) | Same, with a ground clearance check requested on steep sites |
| Transition length | Short sections at half the grade change, commonly 2 metres | Same, shown on a long section |
| Grade in parking spaces and turning areas | Near level, around 1 in 20 or flatter | Same |
The important thing is that the DCP figure is usually stricter than the standard, and the council will hold you to the DCP unless the SEE explains why a steeper grade still works. A longitudinal section of the driveway from the kerb to the last garage, with grades and transition lengths marked, is the document that answers the question. On sloping sites in Kellyville, Baulkham Hills, Glenbrook and the Central Coast we ask the civil engineer to prepare this before lodgement rather than after the request for information arrives. Our colleagues at Contrive Consultants do this alongside the stormwater and OSD design so the driveway drains properly as well.
Swept paths: proving the car can actually turn
A swept path plot is a computer generated track of a design vehicle moving through the layout. For residential DAs the relevant vehicles are the B85 (an 85th percentile car) and the B99 (a larger 99th percentile car). Councils look for:
- Each dwelling’s space can be entered and exited without more than a three point turn, and without crossing into another dwelling’s space.
- Vehicles can turn around on site and leave in a forward direction where the driveway serves three or more dwellings, or where the street is classified or busy.
- The turning area does not rely on land shown as landscaping or private open space on another drawing.
The plot must match the architectural plans exactly. A frequent problem is a swept path prepared on an earlier plan that has since been narrowed, so the council engineer overlays them and finds a conflict. Traffic specialists such as Swept Paths produce these plots for townhouse and dual occupancy DAs, and updating them after each design revision is cheap compared with a refusal.
Waste trucks: the driver that reshapes small townhouse sites
Waste collection is one of the least glamorous and most decisive parts of a multi-dwelling design. Councils generally accept one of two arrangements:
- Kerbside presentation. Bins are wheeled to the street on collection day. Most councils limit how many bins can reasonably be presented along the frontage, and a narrow frontage with five townhouses can exceed that. A bin storage area near the street with a screened enclosure is usually required.
- On site collection. A council or contractor waste vehicle enters the site, collects from a central bin bay and leaves in forward gear. This needs a driveway wide and strong enough for a medium rigid vehicle and a turning area sized to the council’s nominated truck, which on a 20 metre wide lot consumes a large share of the site.
The DCP or the council’s waste guidelines say which arrangement applies at what dwelling count. Where a truck must enter, its swept path is often the drawing that decides whether the yield is five dwellings or four.
The crossing on council land is a separate approval
The DA approves the development on the lot. The vehicle crossing across the footpath and kerb is council land, and its construction needs a separate approval under section 138 of the Roads Act 1993, usually as a condition of consent. Councils publish their own crossing specifications, for example Blacktown City Council’s driveway application page, which sets out what materials and profiles are accepted. Points the DA drawings should already respect:
- Distance of the crossing from the intersection, power poles, pits and street trees.
- Whether a second crossing is permitted for a dual occupancy or the two dwellings must share one.
- Maximum crossing width at the boundary, which is often narrower than the internal driveway.
Where the site cannot meet every control, the Statement of Environmental Effects should say so plainly and explain why the outcome still satisfies the DCP objective. Councils respond better to an honest, engineered departure than to a drawing that hides the problem.
Frequently asked questions
What is the maximum driveway gradient allowed in NSW?
AS 2890.1:2004 allows domestic driveways up to 1 in 4 (25 per cent) with grade transitions, and steeper grades need transition sections at crests and sags. Many councils cap internal driveways in multi-dwelling developments at a flatter grade in their DCP, so check your council’s figure and show a long section on the DA.
Do townhouse developments need a turning area so cars can exit forwards?
Usually yes. Where a driveway serves three or more dwellings, or fronts a busy or classified road, councils expect vehicles to enter and leave in a forward direction. A swept path plot using the B85 and B99 design vehicles is the normal way to demonstrate it.
Does a garbage truck need to enter a small townhouse site?
Not always. Many councils allow kerbside bin presentation for small developments as long as the number of bins fits the frontage. Above a threshold set by the council’s waste guidelines, an on site collection point and a swept path for the collection vehicle are required.
Is the driveway crossing approved by the DA?
No. The DA approves works on your lot. The crossing across the footpath and kerb needs a separate approval from council under section 138 of the Roads Act 1993 and must be built to the council’s specification, which is usually made a condition of consent.
URBA coordinates the driveway, parking and waste story with the civil and traffic consultants and writes it into the SEE as part of our townhouse and multi-dwelling planning work in Western Sydney, the Hills and beyond. To have a concept checked before it is drawn up, request a fee proposal and send us the site plan you have so far.