Reference Data · New South Wales
Cowra Shire DCP: the dwelling controls, as published.
5 controls for low-density residential — dwelling houses, taken from Cowra DCP 2021 (Comprehensive DCP), Part E — Urban and Village Development, Section E.1 Dwelling Controls. 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 Cowra 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.
Cowra Shire — published dwelling controls
| Control | Published value | Qualifier |
|---|---|---|
| Front setback | 6 m | Prevailing-line based (E.1.9.1). Where there are NOT two existing dwellings within 40m facing the same street: minimum 4.5m for lots <700m², 6m for lots >700m². Where two such dwellings exist within 40m, the front setback is set by matching/averaging their setbacks (Scenarios 3–6). |
| Secondary street setback | 4.5 m | — |
| Side setback | 0.9 m | — |
| Rear setback | 5 m | — |
| Landscaped area | 40% | deep-soil requirement applies |
Source: Cowra DCP 2021 (Comprehensive DCP), Part E — Urban and Village Development, Section E.1 Dwelling Controls. Clauses: E.1.1 (Application of Part); E.1.9.1 & E.1.9.4 (front & corner setbacks); E.1.10 (side setbacks); E.1.11 (rear setbacks); E.1.13 (landscaped area). Open the source DCP.
Qualifications that change how these read
- Cowra LEP 2012 has no R2 zone; the low-density residential zone is R1 General Residential. Part E.1 dwelling controls apply to R1 General Residential, RU5 Village, B2 Local Centre and B5 Business Development.
- No site-coverage control exists for dwelling houses — the word 'coverage' does not appear anywhere in Part E.
- Rear setback is area-tiered (not frontage-tiered): 5m for lots ≤700m², 8m for lots >700m² (E.1.11). Recorded rear_setback_m=5 is the ≤700m² case.
- Side setback: 0.9m single storey / 1.5m two storey; eaves may sit within 0.45m of the boundary (E.1.10). Recorded side_setback_m=0.9 is the single-storey case.
- Front setback recorded as 6 (the >700m² fallback); 4.5m applies to lots <700m² with no prevailing dwellings — see front_setback_note.
- No private-open-space AREA minimum for single dwellings. The only 50% figure is a solar-access control (E.1.8: ≥50% of usable private open space to receive ≥3 hrs sun 9am–3pm on 21 June), not an area standard.
- Landscaped area minimum 40% of total site area, defined as permeable area (grassed/vegetated), excluding paved/concreted/decked/impermeable (E.1.13) — hence landscaped_deep_soil=true.
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 Cowra Shire before making decisions.
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