Reference Data · New South Wales
Clarence Valley DCP: the dwelling controls, as published.
6 controls for low-density residential — dwelling houses, taken from Clarence Valley Development Control Plan 2011 — Residential Zones DCP (Part C: General Development Controls for Residential Zones). 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 6 controls Clarence Valley 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.
Clarence Valley Council — published dwelling controls
| Control | Published value | Qualifier |
|---|---|---|
| Front setback | 6 m | Front setback 6 m in R1/R2/R3 (C16.2). C17 requires new development to complement the existing (uniform or varied) street setback pattern; front-setback variation considered on merit. |
| Secondary street setback | 3.5 m | — |
| Side setback | 0.9 m | — |
| Rear setback | 0.9 m | — |
| Landscaped area | 45% | — |
| Private open space | 50 m² | — |
Source: Clarence Valley Development Control Plan 2011 — Residential Zones DCP (Part C: General Development Controls for Residential Zones). Clauses: C16.2 + Table C5 (setbacks), C16.5 (secondary frontage setback), C19.1 (landscaped area R1/R2), C20.2 (private open space). Open the source DCP.
Qualifications that change how these read
- Side & rear setback is HEIGHT-tiered, not lot-area tiered (Table C5, C16.2): building height up to 6.5 m -> 0.9 m; over 6.5-9 m -> 1.5 m; over 9-12 m -> 3 m. Recorded side/rear = 0.9 m is the standard single-storey (<=6.5 m) case; setbacks increase with building height.
- Front setback 6 m (C16.2). C17 requires new development to complement the prevailing (uniform or varied) street setback pattern; variations considered on merit.
- NO numeric site-coverage control in the DCP for dwelling houses — 'site coverage' appears only as a CV LEP 2011 dictionary definition. site_coverage fields left null.
- Landscaped area = minimum 45% of site area for R1 AND R2 Low Density Residential (C19.1). It is a landscaped-area (soft-landscaping, excludes buildings/hard-paved) requirement, not labelled deep-soil/permeable; effluent disposal areas may be counted. R3 Medium Density = 35% (not the low-density case).
- Private open space (C20.2): min 50 m2 in one parcel, min dimension 4.5 m, behind the front setback, on the northern/eastern side, with direct access to living areas. Secondary dwellings get a reduced 24 m2 (min dimension 4 m) — a different dwelling type, not a small-lot reduction, so pos_small_site fields left null.
- Zero side setback (C18) permitted for garages/carports and similar where the boundary wall is <=7 m long. R5 Large Lot Residential (not low-density R2): front 10 m, side/rear 3 m (C16.3).
- Document header states 'Residential Zones DCP in force from 23 December 2011'; PDF is the 29 July 2022 amended version served from the council's current DCP path.
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 Clarence Valley Council before making decisions.
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