Greater Sydney

Town planner in Ku-ring-gai

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

Local Environmental PlanKu-ring-gai Local Environmental Plan 2015

Development Control PlanKu-ring-gai Development Control Plan 2021

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

Planning in Ku-ring-gai

Ku-ring-gai has some of the most detailed landscape, tree canopy and heritage controls in Sydney, and a large number of heritage conservation areas.

Dual occupancy permissibility and the low and mid-rise reforms around the North Shore line stations have been the subject of council-specific arrangements; the current position should be confirmed before a purchase.

Riparian land, bushfire prone land and large tree canopies drive the design on most lots.

What we do for Ku-ring-gai sites

Statements of Environmental Effects for new houses, knock-down rebuilds, alterations, dual occupancies, secondary dwellings and townhouses, written to Ku-ring-gai Local Environmental Plan 2015 and Ku-ring-gai Development Control Plan 2021.
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 Ku-ring-gai

Gordon
Pymble
Turramurra
Wahroonga
St Ives
Killara
Lindfield
Roseville
Warrawee
West Pymble
North Turramurra
East Killara

How a DA works in Ku-ring-gai

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: Ku-ring-gai

Do I need a Statement of Environmental Effects for a DA in Ku-ring-gai?

Yes. Every development application lodged with Ku-ring-gai council through the NSW Planning Portal needs a Statement of Environmental Effects that addresses Ku-ring-gai Local Environmental Plan 2015 and Ku-ring-gai Development Control Plan 2021. Complying development certificates do not.

Can I build a duplex in Ku-ring-gai?

Dual occupancies are permissible with consent in most R2 and R3 zones, subject to the minimum lot size and frontage in Ku-ring-gai 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 Ku-ring-gai?

The zoning, lot size, height and floor space ratio come from Ku-ring-gai Local Environmental Plan 2015; setbacks, site coverage, landscaping, privacy, parking and stormwater come from Ku-ring-gai Development Control Plan 2021. State policies such as the Codes SEPP and the Housing SEPP sit over the top.

Do you visit sites in Ku-ring-gai?

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 Ku-ring-gai.

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.