Reference Data · New South Wales
Kempsey Shire DCP: the dwelling controls, as published.
6 controls for low-density residential — dwelling houses, taken from Kempsey Development Control Plan 2013 — Chapter C1: Residential Development (Urban Areas), Version 1.7. 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 6 that Kempsey Shire 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.
Kempsey Shire — published dwelling controls
| Control | Published value | Qualifier |
|---|---|---|
| Front setback | 5 m | 5.0 m to front wall of main dwelling; 6.0 m to any garage. Council may allow a lesser (prevailing) setback where adjoining buildings are set back less than 5 m (Cl 5.2.1(c)); up to 1.5 m encroachment allowed for unenclosed structures. |
| Secondary street setback | 3 m | — |
| Side setback | 0.9 m | — |
| Minimum boundary setback | 0.9 m | — |
| Rear setback | 0.9 m | — |
| Private open space | 25 m² | — |
Source: Kempsey Development Control Plan 2013 — Chapter C1: Residential Development (Urban Areas), Version 1.7. Clauses: 5.1 (Table C1.3), 5.2.1 Street Setbacks, 5.2.2 Side/Rear Setbacks, 5.4.2 Private Open Space, 5.12 (Table C1-5), 7.1 Site Coverage, 8.4 Rear Setbacks. Open the source DCP.
Scope: R1 dwelling houses. These are the controls for R1, Kempsey Shire’s low-density residential zone. Do not apply these figures to a dual occupancy, duplex, secondary dwelling or multi-dwelling housing development — those are assessed under different standards, which Feasibly has not codified.
What qualifies these Kempsey Shire controls?
- Kempsey's low-density residential zone is R1 - General Residential (Kempsey LEP 2013 has no R2). Chapter C1 applies to R1, R3, B2 and RU5; dwelling-house controls in Section 5 apply to the standard R1 case.
- Side/rear setback (Cl 5.2.2) uses a compensatory (average) formula, not a single flat figure. Single storey: minimum absolute 900mm but average must be >=1.8 m in the same plane. Two storey: min 1.5 m / avg 3.0 m. Three storey: min 2.0 m / avg 4.5 m. The 0.9 m recorded for side/rear/min-boundary is the absolute minimum; 1.8 m is the required single-storey average. Roof eaves must be >=675 mm to the boundary.
- Landscaped area is NOT a percentage or a lot-area tier - Table C1.3 sets a minimum 'common landscaped area' in m2 by dwelling size (bedroom count). Low Density precinct: 1 bed 70 m2, 2 bed 95 m2, 3 bed 130 m2, 4 bed 165 m2. (Medium Density and Medium-to-High Density have lower values.) These are fixed per-dwelling minimums, so landscaped_flat_pct/tiers left null.
- No numeric site-coverage percentage exists in the DCP. Section 7.1 'Site Coverage' (a special provision for South West Rocks) has a deep-soil/open-character objective but its Development Requirement (a) simply defers to Section 5.1 (density/landscaped area) - no % stated. Site coverage fields therefore null.
- Private open space (Cl 5.4.2): min 25 m2 at ground level, directly accessible from living areas, must contain a 4m x 4m rectangle no steeper than 1 in 8; any strip <2 m wide within a side/rear setback is excluded. No small-site reduced minimum. Above-ground POS (roof deck/balcony) min 15 m2, >2 m wide for 80% of area.
- Secondary street setback of 3.0 m is the corner-allotment reduction floor (Cl 5.2.1(b)); it may be reduced to not less than 3 m subject to sight distance, views and streetscape consistency.
- Crescent Head 'Special Rear Setback Area' (Cl 8.4, Figure C1-15): rear setback >=5 m, but this applies only within a mapped area - map/precinct-dependent, not the general R1 case.
Wondering how this compares with asking an AI to read the scheme? We wrote that up here.
How reliable is this Kempsey Shire DCP data?
These values were machine-extracted from the source DCP and have not been independently re-checked. Treat them as screening grade: good enough to compare councils and to know which questions to ask, not a substitute for reading the clause before you rely on it. 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 Kempsey Shire before making decisions.
Kempsey Shire planning controls — common questions
Do these Kempsey Shire controls apply to a duplex or dual occupancy?
No. The figures on this page are Kempsey Shire’s dwelling-house controls. A dual occupancy, duplex, secondary dwelling or multi-dwelling housing development is assessed under different standards — Feasibly has not codified those, so do not apply the numbers above to one.
Which zone do these Kempsey Shire controls apply to?
R1 General Residential — Kempsey Shire’s low-density residential zone. Confirmed against the zones the Kempsey Shire 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 Kempsey Shire publish for dwellings?
Kempsey Shire publishes 6 dwelling controls in Kempsey Development Control Plan 2013 — Chapter C1: Residential Development (Urban Areas), Version 1.7: front setback, secondary street setback, side setback, minimum boundary setback, rear setback, 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 Kempsey Shire figures?
They are machine-extracted from Kempsey Development Control Plan 2013 — Chapter C1: Residential Development (Urban Areas), Version 1.7 and have not been independently re-checked, so treat them as screening grade — good enough to compare councils and to know which questions to ask, not a substitute for reading the clause. This is a lower confidence tier than our Victorian schedules, which a person reads and verifies from the source scheme.
Do these controls apply to every property in Kempsey Shire?
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.
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