Reference Data · New South Wales
Muswellbrook Shire DCP: the dwelling controls, as published.
5 controls for low-density residential — dwelling houses, taken from Muswellbrook Shire Development Control Plan — Section 6 Residential Development (Version date 13 September 2010, Rev 1). 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 5 controls Muswellbrook 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.
Muswellbrook Shire — published dwelling controls
| Control | Published value | Qualifier |
|---|---|---|
| Front setback | 4.5 m | Primarily matches the alignment of the primary facades of adjoining dwellings (average where they differ); 4.5m is the minimum building line in new areas with no adjoining dwellings (Local Street, Collector Street, cul-de-sac bulb). New England Highway frontage minimum is 10m. |
| Secondary street setback | 2 m | — |
| Side setback | 0.9 m | — |
| Rear setback | 0.9 m | — |
| Landscaped area | 35% | — |
Source: Muswellbrook Shire Development Control Plan — Section 6 Residential Development (Version date 13 September 2010, Rev 1). Clauses: 6.1.2 Front Setbacks; 6.1.3 Side and rear setbacks; 6.2.1 Usable Open Space; 6.2.3 Landscaped area. Open the source DCP.
Qualifications that change how these read
- DCP applies to Zones R1, R5 and RU5 only. Muswellbrook has no R2 zone; R1 General Residential is the low-density dwelling-house zone, and the 35% landscaped-area control is expressly for 'R1 Residential or RU5 Village'.
- Side/rear setback is wall-height dependent (cl 6.1.3(i)): 0.9m for walls up to 3m; 0.9m + 0.3m per metre of wall height over 3m and under 7.2m; +1m per metre over 7.2m. Recorded 0.9m is the base for walls up to 3m (single-storey). Higher walls follow the formula, not a fixed number.
- Front setback primarily follows the prevailing alignment of adjoining primary facades (average where they differ); 4.5m is the minimum building line only in new areas with no adjoining dwellings. New England Highway frontage minimum is 10m.
- Secondary (corner) street setback is tiered by LOT AREA (cl 6.1.2(ii)): 2m for lots 450-600m2; 3m for lots 600-1500m2; 5m for lots >1500m2 (or 5.5m to a garage door where driveway access is proposed). Recorded 2m is the base value for the smallest lot band.
- The 35m2 principal private open space minimum (cl 6.2.1(i)) applies to multi dwelling housing / residential flat buildings only. No numeric POS minimum is stated for a single dwelling house, so pos_min_sqm is null.
- Ancillary structures (garages/carports/sheds) must be set back at least 450mm from a side boundary (cl 6.1.3(iii)).
- No site coverage or FSR control is stated in the DCP; cl 6.1.4 defers building height to the Muswellbrook LEP.
- The 35% 'landscaped area' is per the LEP definition (growing plants/grasses/trees, excluding buildings, structures and hard paved areas) — pervious soft landscaping, but not termed 'deep soil', so landscaped_deep_soil is false.
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 Muswellbrook Shire before making decisions.
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