Reference Data · New South Wales
Upper Hunter Shire DCP: the dwelling controls, as published.
6 controls for low-density residential — dwelling houses, taken from Upper Hunter Development Control Plan 2015 — Part 4 Urban residential development, 4a Urban dwellings. 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 6 that Upper Hunter Shire 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.
Upper Hunter Shire — published dwelling controls
| Control | Published value | Qualifier |
|---|---|---|
| Front setback | 4.5 m | 4.5 m to primary road frontage for single dwellings/secondary dwellings in R1 General Residential and RU5 Village (Local Street), per Table 8. Applies where there are no adjoining dwellings within 40 m of the lot; otherwise the setback matches/averages the alignment of the primary-road facades of existing adjoining buildings (merit). Garage/carport minimum 5.5 m. R5 Large Lot Residential and any-zone lots fronting the New England Highway = 10 m. |
| Secondary street setback | 4.5 m | — |
| Side setback | 1 m | — |
| Rear setback | 3 m | — |
| Landscaped area | 35% | — |
| Private open space | 50 m² | — |
Source: Upper Hunter Development Control Plan 2015 — Part 4 Urban residential development, 4a Urban dwellings. Clauses: Part 4a §D Building setbacks - front (Table 8); §E Building setbacks - side & rear (Table 9); §M Private open space & landscaping. Open the source DCP.
Scope: R1 dwelling houses. These are the controls for R1, Upper Hunter Shire’s low-density residential zone. Do not apply these figures to a dual occupancy, duplex, secondary dwelling or multi-dwelling housing development — Upper Hunter Development Control Plan 2015 — Part 4 Urban residential development, 4a Urban dwellings sets those out separately, and Feasibly has not codified them.
What qualifies these Upper Hunter Shire controls?
- Upper Hunter LEP 2013 has NO R2 Low Density Residential zone. The low-density residential dwelling-house controls sit under R1 General Residential (and RU5 Village), DCP Part 4 'Urban residential development' / 4a 'Urban dwellings'. Values recorded are for single dwelling houses in R1 General Residential.
- No general numeric site coverage in the DCP for R1. Floor space ratio is map-dependent (LEP 'Floor Space Ratio' maps; DCP Part 4a §B). The 50% max site coverage in Table 29 is a SITE-SPECIFIC control for St Aubin's Estate, Scone only — deliberately NOT recorded as the general R1 figure.
- Front/secondary setback (Table 8) applies where there are no adjoining dwellings within 40 m of the lot; otherwise the setback is merit-based, matching or averaging the alignment of adjoining primary-road facades.
- Garage/carport minimum front setback 5.5 m; garage width not to exceed 50% of the site frontage (remainder landscaped).
- Side setback for single dwellings is 1.0 m single-storey / 1.5 m two-storey (recorded value is the single-storey minimum). Walls may be built to a side or rear boundary where max wall height is 3 m with no privacy/POS/solar impact.
- R5 Large Lot Residential and any-zone lots fronting the New England Highway have a 10 m front setback.
- Landscaped area of 35% is described as 'landscaped area' (not deep-soil/permeable), so landscaped_deep_soil=false.
- POS 30 m² per dwelling applies to dual occupancies and multiple housing, not single dwelling houses (50 m² applies to single dwelling houses).
Wondering how this compares with asking an AI to read the scheme? We wrote that up here.
How reliable is this Upper Hunter Shire 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 Upper Hunter Shire before making decisions.
Upper Hunter Shire planning controls — common questions
Do these Upper Hunter Shire controls apply to a duplex or dual occupancy?
No. The figures on this page are Upper Hunter Shire’s dwelling-house controls. A dual occupancy, duplex, secondary dwelling or multi-dwelling housing development is assessed under different standards, and Upper Hunter Development Control Plan 2015 — Part 4 Urban residential development, 4a Urban dwellings states them separately — Feasibly has not codified those, so do not apply the numbers above to one.
Which zone do these Upper Hunter Shire controls apply to?
R1 General Residential — Upper Hunter Shire’s low-density residential zone. Confirmed against the zones the Upper Hunter Shire 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 Upper Hunter Shire publish for dwellings?
Upper Hunter Shire publishes 6 dwelling controls in Upper Hunter Development Control Plan 2015 — Part 4 Urban residential development, 4a Urban dwellings: front setback, secondary street setback, side 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 Upper Hunter Shire figures?
They are machine-extracted from Upper Hunter Development Control Plan 2015 — Part 4 Urban residential development, 4a Urban dwellings 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 Upper Hunter Shire?
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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