Reference Data · New South Wales
MidCoast DCP: the dwelling controls, as published.
7 controls for low-density residential — dwelling houses, taken from Great Lakes Development Control Plan 2014 — Part 5 (Single Dwellings, Dual Occupancies, Villas and Townhouses) + Part 13 (Landscaping and Open Space). One of three legacy DCPs still current for MidCoast Council; applies to the former Great Lakes area.. 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 MidCoast 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.
MidCoast Council — published dwelling controls
| Control | Published value | Qualifier |
|---|---|---|
| Front setback | 4.5 m | Prevailing line: where neighbouring houses exist within 40m, front setback = average of the setbacks of the nearest two neighbouring houses with the same primary road frontage. Where there are no neighbouring houses, minimum is 4.5m on allotments less than 900m² and 6m on allotments greater than 900m². Garages/carports/car spaces min 6m from the primary road frontage. |
| Secondary street setback | 3 m | — |
| Side setback | 0.9 m | — |
| Minimum boundary setback | 0.9 m | — |
| Rear setback | 3 m | — |
| Landscaped area | 30% | — |
| Private open space | 24 m² | — |
Source: Great Lakes Development Control Plan 2014 — Part 5 (Single Dwellings, Dual Occupancies, Villas and Townhouses) + Part 13 (Landscaping and Open Space). One of three legacy DCPs still current for MidCoast Council; applies to the former Great Lakes area.. Clauses: 5.5.2.1 Primary Road Setback; 5.5.2.3 Secondary Setback; 5.5.2.5 Side and Rear Setback; 5.8 Private Outdoor Areas; 5.11 lots under min size. Landscaping: 13.1.2(1)-(2) (Part 13, separate PDF).. Open the source DCP.
Scope: R2 dwelling houses. These are the controls for R2, MidCoast’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 MidCoast controls?
- MidCoast Council is a merged LGA (Greater Taree + Great Lakes + Gloucester) with no consolidated DCP yet; three legacy DCPs remain current. These figures are from the Great Lakes DCP, which applies to the former Great Lakes portion of the LGA and explicitly lists R2 Low Density Residential. The Manning Region DCP 2010 (Greater Taree) and Gloucester DCP cover the other parts and may differ.
- Site coverage: NO maximum site-coverage percentage is codified for single dwellings in the Great Lakes DCP — control is via landscaped area (30% min) + setbacks. site_coverage fields left null (not stated).
- Front setback is prevailing-line based (average of nearest two houses within 40m with same frontage). The 4.5m (lots <900m²) / 6m (lots >900m²) figures apply only where there are no neighbouring houses; 4.5m recorded as the standard-lot minimum.
- Side setback 0.9m and rear setback 3m are the minimums for wall height up to 3.8m. Above 3.8m a FORMULA applies: side = 0.9m + (wall height − 3.8m)/4; rear = 3m + (wall height − 3.8m)/4. Recorded minimums only; formula not flattened.
- Landscaped area 30% of site (flat). A sub-requirement (s13.1.2(2)) requires at least 50% of that landscaped area to be deep-soil zone; landscaped_deep_soil set false because the headline 30% is a landscaping (not pure deep-soil) requirement. Landscaping areas with any dimension <1.5m are excluded from the calculation.
- Private open space: 24m² ground-level min (min dimension 4m). The 16m² balcony/deck figure is the alternative where main living areas are NOT at ground level — it is not a small-lot reduction, so pos_small_site fields left null.
- Lots <450m² and/or frontage <12.6m wide are assessed on merit (applicant should consult Council) — a general merit trigger, not a specific reduced side setback, so side_merit_below_frontage_m left null.
- Corner lots: a 3m setback is usually applied to the longest street frontage (s5.5.2.4). Attached garages/carports min 6m from front boundary and min 500mm behind the dwelling front building line (s5.4).
- Numerous locality-specific overrides exist (Seal Rocks, Pacific Palms, Tea Gardens, Hawks Nest, Coomba Park, Green Point, Smiths Lake, Tuncurry) — the standard R2 case is recorded; these are precinct-specific exceptions.
Wondering how this compares with asking an AI to read the scheme? We wrote that up here.
How reliable is this MidCoast 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 MidCoast Council before making decisions.
MidCoast planning controls — common questions
Do these MidCoast controls apply to a duplex or dual occupancy?
No. The figures on this page are MidCoast’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 MidCoast controls apply to?
R2 Low Density Residential — MidCoast’s low-density residential zone. Confirmed against the zones the MidCoast 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 MidCoast Council publish for dwellings?
MidCoast Council publishes 7 dwelling controls in Great Lakes Development Control Plan 2014 — Part 5 (Single Dwellings, Dual Occupancies, Villas and Townhouses) + Part 13 (Landscaping and Open Space). One of three legacy DCPs still current for MidCoast Council; applies to the former Great Lakes area.: front setback, secondary street setback, side setback, minimum boundary setback, rear setback, 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 MidCoast figures?
They are machine-extracted from Great Lakes Development Control Plan 2014 — Part 5 (Single Dwellings, Dual Occupancies, Villas and Townhouses) + Part 13 (Landscaping and Open Space). One of three legacy DCPs still current for MidCoast Council; applies to the former Great Lakes area. 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 MidCoast?
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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