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 2026-08-05.
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 Kempsey 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.
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.
Qualifications that change how these read
- 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.
How this was compiled, and how far to trust it
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 2026-08-05. 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 Kempsey Shire before making decisions.
Check a specific address in Kempsey Shire
These are the council-wide numbers. Zone, overlays and the consent triggers that actually apply depend on the parcel — screen one free, no signup.
Screen an address →Compare across the state: every codified NSW council DCP in one table · all reference data