Reference Data · New South Wales
Lake Macquarie DCP: the dwelling controls, as published.
7 controls for low-density residential — dwelling houses, taken from Lake Macquarie DCP 2014 (Revision 39) — Part 3: Development within Residential Zones. 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 Lake Macquarie 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.
Lake Macquarie, City of — published dwelling controls
| Control | Published value | Qualifier |
|---|---|---|
| Front setback | 4 m | Front setback must be 4m or more, OR between the setback of the two nearest properties (prevailing line, Figure 2). Where there are no existing/approved dwellings within 40m of the lot, min 4m from the front boundary. |
| Secondary street setback | 2 m | — |
| Side setback | 0.9 m | — |
| Rear setback | 3 m | — |
| Site coverage | 50% | — |
| Landscaped area | 20% ≤600 m² → 25% ≤900 m² → 35% ≤1500 m² → 45% | — |
| Private open space | 24 m² | — |
Source: Lake Macquarie DCP 2014 (Revision 39) — Part 3: Development within Residential Zones. Clauses: 3.2 Street Setback, 3.3 Side Setback, 3.4 Rear Setback, 3.5 Site Coverage, 4.2 Landscaped Area, 4.4 Principal Private Open Space. Open the source DCP.
Scope: R2 dwelling houses. These are the controls for R2, Lake Macquarie’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 Lake Macquarie controls?
- Scope: Part 3 applies to R1 General Residential, R2 Low Density Residential and R3 Medium Density Residential zones; a standard dwelling house in R2 is governed by these controls (specific land uses e.g. dual occupancy, multi-dwelling, housing on small/narrow lots have additional Part 9 controls).
- Side setback is height-tiered (R2/R3): min 0.9m (900mm) for building height up to 4.5m; min 1.5m for height over 4.5m but less than 3 storeys; min 3m for 3 storeys or more. Recorded side_setback_m=0.9 for the standard single-storey/up-to-4.5m dwelling case.
- Rear setback is height-tiered (R2/R3), NOT frontage-tiered: min 3m for buildings up to 4.5m; min 6m for over 4.5m but less than 3 storeys; min 9m for 3 storeys or more. Recorded rear_setback_m=3 for the standard up-to-4.5m case.
- Front setback (3.2): entry features, porticos, porches, balconies, decks, verandahs, bay windows, eaves and awnings may encroach up to 1.5m into the front setback (not covering more than 50% of building width). Setbacks may be reduced on flood/sea-level-rise-vulnerable sites.
- Landscaped area (4.2) is 4-tiered and increases with lot area: <600m2 = 20%; 600-900m2 = 25%; >900m2 = 35%; >1500m2 = 45%. Minimum width of 2m required for an area to count. Not titled 'deep soil' (labelled 'landscaped area'), though objectives reference pervious surfaces/stormwater infiltration and rear deep-soil tree planting.
- Principal private open space (4.4): min area 24m2, min dimension 4m, grade less than 1:50. Landscaped area is in addition to the POS requirement. No small-site reduced minimum stated.
- Site coverage (3.5): flat 50% max including ancillary development; basements, eaves, unenclosed balconies/decks/pergolas and street-adjoining awnings are excluded from the calculation.
Wondering how this compares with asking an AI to read the scheme? We wrote that up here.
How reliable is this Lake Macquarie 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 Lake Macquarie, City of before making decisions.
Lake Macquarie dual occupancy (duplex) controls
A dual occupancy is assessed under the DCP’s specific land-use part, which overrides the dwelling-house controls only where it states something. Every row below is marked accordingly, so the ones that genuinely differ are visible rather than buried among the ones that do not.
| Control | Dual occupancy | vs dwelling house |
|---|---|---|
| Front setback | 4 m | restated, same figure |
| Secondary street setback | 2 m | restated, same figure |
| Side setback | 0.9 m | not overridden — inherits |
| Rear setback | 3 m | not overridden — inherits |
| Site coverage | 55% | differs — dwelling house 50% |
| Landscaped area | A formula, not a flat percentage: minimum landscaped area = 50% of the total lot area minus 100 m², with a minimum width of 2 m to count. Separately, 25% of the area forward of the building line must be landscaped, and the landscaped area is in addition to the principal private open space. (§6.5) | no dwelling-house equivalent |
| Private open space | 16 m² | differs — dwelling house 24 m² |
| Separation between dwellings (detached) | 2 m | no dwelling-house equivalent |
Controls not listed here are not overridden by Part 9 and fall back to the dwelling-house values on this record, which come from Part 3 Development within Residential Zones. The DCP states that where a conflict exists, the specific land-use section prevails.
Source: Lake Macquarie DCP 2014 (Revision 39) — Part 9: Specific Land Uses — Dual Occupancy. Clauses: 6.2 Site Coverage; 6.4 Setbacks; 6.5 Landscaped Area; 6.6 Principal Private Open Space. Open the source DCP part.
- SITE COVERAGE DIFFERS FROM A DWELLING HOUSE: 55% for dual occupancy against 50% for a dwelling house — applying the dwelling-house figure to a duplex under-builds by 5% of the site.
- PRIVATE OPEN SPACE DIFFERS: 16 m² per dwelling (min dimension 3 m, grade less than 1:50, directly accessible from a habitable room) against 24 m² for a dwelling house.
- Each proposed dwelling must have a minimum building envelope of 200 m² located above 2 m AHD (§6.1 Flood Management) — a flood control, recorded for context, not a general minimum lot size.
- Entry features, porticos, porches, balconies, decks, verandahs, bay windows, eaves and awnings may encroach up to 1.5 m into the front setback, covering no more than 50% of the building width (§6.4 control 4).
- On a corner lot the rear of the dwelling is treated as a side boundary, requiring a 900 mm ground-floor setback to both side boundaries (§6.4 control 5).
- No minimum lot size or frontage for dual occupancy is stated in Part 9; those sit in the LEP, not this DCP part.
Lake Macquarie planning controls — common questions
Do these Lake Macquarie controls apply to a duplex or dual occupancy?
No — a dual occupancy is assessed under different standards, and this page publishes what Lake Macquarie sets for one. site coverage is 55% for a dual occupancy against 50% for a dwelling house; private open space is 16 m² for a dual occupancy against 24 m² for a dwelling house. Controls not listed are not overridden and fall back to the dwelling-house figures. Source: Lake Macquarie DCP 2014 (Revision 39) — Part 9: Specific Land Uses — Dual Occupancy.
Which zone do these Lake Macquarie controls apply to?
R2 Low Density Residential — Lake Macquarie’s low-density residential zone. Confirmed against the zones the Lake Macquarie 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 Lake Macquarie, City of publish for dwellings?
Lake Macquarie, City of publishes 7 dwelling controls in Lake Macquarie DCP 2014 (Revision 39) — Part 3: Development within Residential Zones: 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 Lake Macquarie figures?
They are machine-extracted from Lake Macquarie DCP 2014 (Revision 39) — Part 3: Development within Residential Zones 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 Lake Macquarie?
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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