Reference Data · New South Wales
Cumberland City DCP: the dwelling controls, as published.
7 controls for low-density residential — dwelling houses, taken from Cumberland DCP – Part B – Development in Residential Zones (2021), Part B1 – Dwelling Houses. As at 2026-08-29.
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 — here, the 7 that Cumberland City publishes numerically. Anything its DCP assesses on merit rather than a fixed number is absent from this table: not a zero, and not a permission.
Cumberland City Council — published dwelling controls
| Control | Published value | Qualifier |
|---|---|---|
| Front setback | 6 m | Minimum 6m; dwelling house shall align with the street (articulation elements — balconies, porticos, entrances — may protrude a maximum of 0.9m). |
| Secondary street setback | 4 m | — |
| Side setback | 0.9 m | — |
| Rear setback | 8 m | — |
| Site coverage | 70% ≤451 m² → 65% | — |
| Landscaped area | 15% ≤451 m² → 20% | deep-soil requirement applies |
| Private open space | 50 m² | 30 m² on sites ≤ 451 m² |
Source: Cumberland DCP – Part B – Development in Residential Zones (2021), Part B1 – Dwelling Houses. Clauses: 2.1 Setbacks (Table 1); 2.6 Site coverage (Table 2); 2.7 Landscaping (Table 3); 2.8 Private open space. Open the source DCP.
Scope: R2 dwelling houses. These are the controls for R2, Cumberland City’s low-density residential zone. Do not apply these figures to a dual occupancy, duplex, secondary dwelling or multi-dwelling housing development — those are set out separately. See the dual occupancy controls below.
What qualifies these Cumberland City controls?
- Setback thresholds and coverage/landscaped tiers use the DCP's 'lot size' bands: '450m2 or less' vs '451m2 or greater' (recorded as exclusive upper bound 451).
- Secondary street frontage setback (corner dwelling facing secondary street) = min 4m, with garage setback a minimum 5.5m from property boundary.
- Separate 'Corner Dwelling House Setback' = minimum 2m (setbacks of less than 2m may be considered subject to justification and merit assessment).
- Zero-lot-line side wall: max length of first-floor side-boundary walls 10m without articulation; indentations/offsets min width 1m.
- Landscaped area shall be a deep soil zone; majority provided as a consolidated area at the rear extending across at least 50% of the rear boundary; deep soil zones min width 1m; planting on slab not counted.
- Site coverage includes outbuildings.
- Private open space min dimension 4m in any direction (3m considered on lots 450m2 or smaller); located at ground level at rear and/or side with direct access from a living area.
- Max height 2 storeys; min floor-to-ceiling 2.7m.
Wondering how this compares with asking an AI to read the scheme? We wrote that up here.
How reliable is this Cumberland City DCP data?
These values were extracted from the source DCP and then independently checked against it — one of 29 of 93 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 2026-08-29. 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 Cumberland City Council before making decisions.
Cumberland City dual occupancy (duplex) controls
This DCP sets only the controls below for a dual occupancy and defers the rest to state controls. The dwelling-house figures elsewhere on this page are not the fallback and must not be read as the duplex case.
| Control | Dual occupancy | vs dwelling house |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum lot frontage | 15 m attached · 18 m detached | no dwelling-house equivalent |
This DCP part sets only site frontage and overshadowing for a dual occupancy. It does NOT set its own setbacks, site coverage, landscaped area or private open space — those defer to the NSW Low Rise Housing Diversity Design Guide (§2.1–2.2), a state document, not to the dwelling-house controls on this record.
Source: Cumberland DCP – Part B – Development in Residential Zones (2021), Part B2 – Low Rise Dual Occupancy Development. Clauses: Part B2 §1.1–1.2 Land and purpose; §3.1 Site frontage (Table 6). Open the source DCP part.
- MINIMUM SITE FRONTAGE: 15 m for an attached dual occupancy, 18 m for a detached (side by side) dual occupancy (Table 6). Sites narrower than this must be amalgamated with two or more sites.
- ⚠️ THE REST IS NOT IN THE DCP. Part B2 defers the development standards for low rise dual occupancy to the NSW Low Rise Housing Diversity Design Guide, so the setbacks and open-space figures for a duplex here are state controls rather than council ones. Do not read the dwelling-house figures on this page as the duplex case — they are not the fallback either.
- Applies to low rise dual occupancy in the R2 and R3 zones under Cumberland LEP 2021.
Cumberland City planning controls — common questions
Do these Cumberland City controls apply to a duplex or dual occupancy?
No — a dual occupancy is assessed under different standards, and this page publishes what Cumberland City sets for one. This DCP sets no other dual-occupancy controls of its own — the rest defer to state controls, NOT to the dwelling-house figures on this page. Source: Cumberland DCP – Part B – Development in Residential Zones (2021), Part B2 – Low Rise Dual Occupancy Development.
Which zone do these Cumberland City controls apply to?
R2 Low Density Residential — Cumberland City’s low-density residential zone. Confirmed against the zones the Cumberland City LEP actually contains. This page presents the low-density residential case; some DCP sections also cover other residential zones, and the source above names the zones it applies to.
What planning controls does Cumberland City Council publish for dwellings?
Cumberland City Council publishes 7 dwelling controls in Cumberland DCP – Part B – Development in Residential Zones (2021), Part B1 – Dwelling Houses: front setback, secondary street setback, side setback, rear setback, site coverage, landscaped area, private open space. Each value and its clause reference is listed on this page, as at 2026-08-29.
Does NSW have a statewide dwelling setback standard?
No. The Local Environmental Plan sets zone, building height and floor space ratio, but the numbers that shape a dwelling — setbacks, site coverage, landscaped area and private open space — sit in each council’s Development Control Plan. That is why these figures are published per council rather than per state.
How reliable are these Cumberland City figures?
These values were extracted from Cumberland DCP – Part B – Development in Residential Zones (2021), Part B1 – Dwelling Houses and then independently re-checked against it, one of 29 of 93 councils on this site verified that way. They remain screening grade: read the clause before relying on it.
Do these controls apply to every property in Cumberland City?
No. These are the council-wide published figures for low-density residential — dwelling houses. The zone, any overlays and the consent triggers that actually apply depend on the individual parcel, and a control absent from this page means the DCP either sets no number or assesses that parameter on merit — not that the requirement is zero.
Check a specific address in Cumberland City
These are the council-wide numbers. Zone, overlays and the consent triggers that actually apply depend on the parcel.
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