Reference Data · New South Wales
Bellingen Shire DCP: the dwelling controls, as published.
5 controls for low-density residential — dwelling houses, taken from Bellingen Shire Development Control Plan 2017 — Chapter 1: Single Dwellings. As at 2026-08-05.
NSW has no statewide dwelling setback or site-coverage standard. The LEP sets zone, height and FSR; the numbers that shape a build sit in each council's DCP. Below are the 5 controls Bellingen Shire publishes numerically. Anything its DCP assesses on merit rather than a fixed number is simply absent from this table — it is not a zero, and it is not a permission.
Bellingen Shire — published dwelling controls
| Control | Published value | Qualifier |
|---|---|---|
| Front setback | 4.5 m | R1 zoned land: 4.5 metres or the average setback of the two nearest dwellings, whichever is greater. |
| Secondary street setback | 3 m | — |
| Side setback | 0.9 m | — |
| Landscaped area | 10% ≤300 m² → 15% ≤450 m² → 20% ≤600 m² → 30% ≤900 m² → 40% ≤1500 m² → 45% | — |
| Private open space | 24 m² | — |
Source: Bellingen Shire Development Control Plan 2017 — Chapter 1: Single Dwellings. Clauses: 1.6.1 (Table 1.1 Setback Requirements), 1.6.5 (Landscaping), 1.6.7 (Private open space). Open the source DCP.
Qualifications that change how these read
- Bellingen LEP 2010 uses R1 General Residential as its residential zone (there is no R2 in Bellingen); the recorded values are the 'R1 zoned land' row of Table 1.1, which is the standard low-density residential dwelling-house case.
- Front setback (R1) is '4.5 metres OR the average setback of the two nearest dwellings, whichever is greater' — 4.5m recorded as the stated numeric minimum.
- Side setback (R1) is '900mm from the wall and 450mm from eaves gutter to the boundary' — recorded side_setback_m = 0.9 (wall). Council may consider written variation requests to side setbacks only, on merit (BCA compliance, no significant adverse bulk/overshadowing/ventilation/noise/privacy impact).
- Rear boundary setback for R1 is shown as '-' in Table 1.1 (no numeric rear setback specified for the R1 residential zone); rear_setback_m left null. R5 rear = 5m, rural/environmental rear = 10m.
- Landscaped-area tiers apply to lots of at least 200m2; lots below 200m2 are not addressed by the table. The percentage INCREASES with lot area (10%→45%), i.e. this is a minimum landscaped-area control, monotonic as expected.
- Landscaping control is titled 'landscaped area' (aims include rainwater infiltration and deep-rooted vegetation) but is not explicitly labelled 'deep soil' or 'permeable'; landscaped_deep_soil set false.
- Private open space: minimum 24m2, minimum length and width 4m, max grade 12.5%. Steep-site alternative is a balcony/deck of not less than 10m2 with minimum dimension 2.5m — this is a grade/steepness alternative, NOT a small-lot-area reduction, so pos_small_site fields left null.
- No site-coverage percentage is specified in Chapter 1 — building bulk is instead controlled by a Building Height Plane Envelope (35-degree plane from 3m at the boundary up to a maximum 10m above natural ground level). All site_coverage fields left null.
- DCP 2017 adopted 22 November 2017, commenced 6 December 2017 (replaced DCP 2010); current per Bellingen Shire Council website.
How this was compiled, and how far to trust it
These values were extracted from the source DCP and then independently checked against it — one of 28 of 86 councils on this site verified that way. This is a different and lower tier of confidence than our Victorian zone schedules, which are read and verified from the source planning scheme by a person. We do not present the two as equivalent.
A council's DCP can be amended at any time and this page reflects the document as at 2026-08-05. Where a control is absent above, the DCP either sets no number or assesses that parameter on merit.
This information is provided for research and preliminary screening only. It does not constitute professional planning, legal or architectural advice. Always verify with Bellingen Shire before making decisions.
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