Reference Data · New South Wales
Penrith DCP: the dwelling controls, as published.
5 controls for low-density residential — dwelling houses, taken from Penrith Development Control Plan 2014, Part D2 Residential Development — 2.1 Single Dwellings. 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 Penrith 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.
Penrith, City of — published dwelling controls
| Control | Published value | Qualifier |
|---|---|---|
| Front setback | 5.5 m | Greater of either 5.5m or the average of the setbacks of the adjoining properties (2.1.2 B.1.a). |
| Secondary street setback | 3 m | — |
| Side setback | 0.9 m | — |
| Rear setback | 4 m | — |
| Landscaped area | 50% | — |
Source: Penrith Development Control Plan 2014, Part D2 Residential Development — 2.1 Single Dwellings. Clauses: 2.1.2 Setbacks and Building Envelope; 2.1.4 Landscaped Area. Open the source DCP.
Qualifications that change how these read
- Rear setback varies by storeys, not frontage: 4m for a single-storey building/component; 6m for a two-storey building/component (2.1.2 B.1.e). rear_setback_m records the single-storey minimum (4m).
- Secondary street frontage on corner sites: 3m to external walls, 5.5m to garage entrances (2.1.2 B.1.b) — recorded as secondary_street_setback_m = 3.
- Building envelope for R2 Low Density Residential is a 45-degree height plane over the site measured from a specified height above natural ground level at the side boundaries (Figure D2.1) — a geometric envelope control, not a single numeric setback.
- Landscaped area minimum is zone-tiered (R1 40%, R2 50%, R3 40%, R4 35%); value recorded is R2 Low Density Residential = 50%. Excludes strips <2m wide and hard surfaces; may include up to 15m² of ground-floor verandah/deck/patio (2.1.4). Termed 'landscaped area', not deep-soil.
- No numeric site coverage or private open space control exists for single (detached) dwellings in Part D2 §2.1. Site Coverage (§2.3.2) and Private Open Space min 24m² (§2.3.4) apply to Secondary Dwellings only, so both are recorded as null for the standard dwelling house.
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 Penrith, City of before making decisions.
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