Did you know Sutherland Shire Council leads the way when it comes to landscaping?

That we have one of the highest rates of tree canopy cover in the Sydney metropolitan area?

Balancing growth while protecting the natural environment and residential amenity is one of the things we do best.

Most development in the Sutherland Shire is local development with projects ranging from home renovation to commercial complexes.

Approval is usually via a development application which is assessed to ensure compliance with a range of legislation and guidelines, notably the Sutherland Shire Development Control Plan 2015, the DCP, and the Sutherland Shire Local Environmental Plan 2015, the LEP.

The DCP supports LEP legislation by outlining planning conditions such as streetscape and building form, setbacks, landscaping, layout, privacy and parking, based on the type of dwelling and its location. It also has guidelines for waterfront builds, environmental risk and special precincts.

Together the DCP and LEP contribute to our Community Strategic Plan which outlines the community’s aspirations and vision, now and for the future.

To check which regulations apply to your project:

1 Confirm your zone

Zones can indicate environmental management areas, different residential densities, neighbourhood precincts and industrial and business areas. Different controls apply to each type of development within each zone.

2 Search the DCP

Once you know your residential zone, use the web-friendly indexes in our development control plan to find out what controls apply dwelling houses, secondary dwellings, dual occupancy and other developments within that zone.

These development controls include streetscape and building form, setbacks, landscaping, layout, privacy, parking and waste management.

3 Need more?

Note separate chapters on foreshore and waterway development, environmental topics such as storm- and groundwater management, environmental risk and employment zones.

There are also additional chapters for larger residential, commercial and industrial developments.

Council certificates

Council has the authority to issue certificates to confirm a development is compliant with a range of regulations ranging from fire safety to flooding, legality of works to subdivisions.