Three numbers decide how much townhouse you can fit on a lot in NSW: the floor space ratio (FSR) in the LEP or Housing SEPP, which caps total gross floor area; the site coverage control in the DCP, which caps the building footprint; and the landscaped area control in the DCP, which reserves a share of the site for soft landscaping. They are set by different instruments, measured differently, and they pull against each other. A design that maxes out one usually cannot max out the others, so the feasibility on a 700 square metre lot is settled by whichever of the three runs out first.
Key takeaways
- FSR is a development standard in the LEP (or a non-refusal standard in the Housing SEPP), measured as gross floor area divided by site area, and it can only be varied by a Clause 4.6 request.
- Site coverage and landscaped area are usually DCP controls, measured on the ground plane, and they can be varied on merit through the Statement of Environmental Effects.
- Gross floor area excludes required car parking, basements, voids, balconies and similar items, so the built volume is larger than the FSR number suggests.
- Landscaped area must be soft landscaping that can grow plants; driveways, paths, decks and pools do not count under the Standard Instrument definition.
- On a typical Sydney lot the driveway and turning area, not the buildings, are what push a townhouse scheme over site coverage or under landscaped area.
Where each number comes from
| Control | Instrument | What it measures | How it can be varied |
|---|---|---|---|
| Floor space ratio | LEP clause 4.4 and FSR map, or Housing SEPP non-refusal standard in low and mid-rise housing areas | Gross floor area of all buildings divided by site area | Clause 4.6 written request in a DA; not variable in a CDC |
| Site coverage | DCP (and the Codes SEPP for complying development) | Area of the site covered by buildings, usually measured at the outer walls, sometimes including roofed structures | Merit argument in the SEE against the DCP objective |
| Landscaped area | DCP (and the Codes SEPP for complying development), definition in the LEP dictionary | Area of the site used for growing plants, grass and trees, excluding buildings, structures and hard paving | Merit argument in the SEE; some DCPs also set a deep soil sub-requirement |
The distinction between a development standard and a DCP control is the most useful thing to understand here. A council must apply the LEP FSR unless a Clause 4.6 request succeeds. DCP site coverage and landscaped area controls are guidelines the council must consider under section 4.15 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979, and a well argued departure can be accepted.
FSR and the gross floor area definition
Gross floor area under the Standard Instrument is the sum of the floor area of each storey measured from the internal faces of the external walls, less a list of exclusions. For townhouses the exclusions that matter are car parking required by the consent authority and the access to it, basement storage, voids, and terraces and balconies with outer walls less than 1.4 metres high. So a double garage that meets the DCP parking rate does not count, but a third space beyond the required number does. Garages are the item most often mis-measured in the area schedules we receive.
FSRs vary widely. Many R2 and R3 sites in Blacktown, Penrith and Liverpool have an LEP FSR between 0.5:1 and 0.75:1, some LEPs set none for R2, and in low and mid-rise housing areas near nominated centres the Housing SEPP non-refusal FSR for multi dwelling housing and terraces is 0.7:1, as set out in the summary of key provisions. Check the FSR map, because the figure can change mid street.
Site coverage and why the driveway is the problem
Site coverage is a footprint control. DCPs for multi dwelling housing typically cap it somewhere between 45 and 60 per cent depending on the council and zone, and each DCP defines what is included. Some count only roofed buildings; some include carports and pergolas; a few include raised decks. Read the definition in Blacktown DCP 2015, Penrith DCP 2014, Camden DCP 2019 or whichever applies.
The footprint of the dwellings is rarely the issue on its own. The pressure comes from the internal driveway, visitor space and turning area, which on a rear access layout can occupy 150 to 200 square metres. That area is not site coverage, but it is not landscaped area either, and it squeezes the landscaping below the DCP minimum.
Landscaped area: soft, and often deep
The Standard Instrument defines landscaped area as the part of a site used for growing plants, grasses and trees, excluding any building, structure or hard paved area. Councils apply that strictly. Artificial turf, a paved courtyard and a pool are not landscaped area.
Two further layers appear in most modern DCPs: a minimum dimension, commonly 1.5 to 3 metres, so thin strips beside a driveway do not count, and a deep soil requirement free of structures above and below ground so a canopy tree can grow. Tree canopy targets are increasingly explicit in Western Sydney DCPs, and the department’s guidance for industry and councils refers to a tree canopy guide for low and mid-rise housing.
A worked example on a 700 square metre lot
Take a hypothetical 700 square metre R3 lot in Western Sydney, 20 metres wide by 35 metres deep, with an FSR of 0.7:1, a DCP site coverage limit of 50 per cent and a DCP landscaped area minimum of 35 per cent. The arithmetic looks like this:
- Maximum gross floor area: 700 x 0.7 = 490 square metres.
- Maximum site coverage: 700 x 0.5 = 350 square metres of footprint.
- Minimum landscaped area: 700 x 0.35 = 245 square metres of soft landscaping.
- Remaining for driveway, paths, courtyard paving and bins: 700 minus 350 minus 245 = 105 square metres.
A three townhouse scheme with two storey dwellings of about 160 square metres GFA each uses the 490 square metres, with ground floors of roughly 85 square metres each plus garages giving a footprint near 330 square metres. Coverage is met. The problem is the 105 square metres left for everything hard. A 3 metre wide driveway to the rear dwellings over 25 metres is 75 square metres before any turning bay or visitor space. The scheme fails landscaped area, not FSR or coverage. The fix is usually two dwellings instead of three, a shorter driveway, or a merit argument that a slightly lower landscaped area still meets the DCP objective because deep soil and canopy targets are exceeded. This is why we run a development due diligence report before a client commissions full drawings.
Under the Low Rise Housing Diversity Code the DCP does not apply; the Code sets its own FSR, coverage and landscaped area figures by lot size, and they are fixed. A clear area schedule on the drawings, with each number tied to the definition it uses, removes most requests for information before they are written.
Frequently asked questions
What does FSR mean on a townhouse development?
Floor space ratio is the gross floor area of all buildings divided by the site area. An FSR of 0.7:1 on a 700 square metre site allows 490 square metres of gross floor area. Required car parking, basements, voids and most balconies are excluded from gross floor area under the Standard Instrument definition.
What is the difference between site coverage and landscaped area?
Site coverage is the share of the site covered by buildings, measured on the ground. Landscaped area is the share of the site used for growing plants, grass and trees, with no buildings or hard paving. The two do not add up to 100 per cent because driveways, paths and paved courtyards belong to neither.
Can a council refuse a DA for exceeding site coverage?
Site coverage is usually a DCP control, so a council can refuse if the departure is not justified, but it must consider the merits and the DCP objective rather than apply the number rigidly. FSR is different: it is an LEP development standard and can only be exceeded with an approved Clause 4.6 request.
Does artificial grass count as landscaped area in NSW?
No. Landscaped area under the Standard Instrument definition is land used for growing plants, grasses and trees, and artificial turf is a hard surface. Most DCPs also exclude paving, decks and pools from the calculation.
URBA tests FSR, coverage and landscaped area on the concept before the architect draws it, then writes the Statement of Environmental Effects that explains any departure, as part of our townhouse and multi-dwelling planning service across Sydney and regional NSW. Send us a survey and a sketch and we will provide a fee proposal for a yield check.