Granny Flats or Secondary Dwellings - Complying Approval
In recent years, the demand for sustainable and affordable housing options in New South Wales (NSW) has increased significantly. In response to this, the state government introduced complying development for granny flats or secondary dwellings. This innovative planning approach allows homeowners to build secondary structures on their properties without the need for a lengthy and often cumbersome development application process. In this article, we will explore the benefits and guidelines of complying development for granny flats in NSW, and how it addresses the pressing need for sustainable, accessible, and flexible housing solutions.
Check if you are prone to flooding or bushfire. If you are prone to flooding you will need to get a flood information certificate. If you are bushfire prone, you will need to get a bushfire report. Here is a guide to finding out if your site is subject to flooding. Here is a guide to find out if your site is prone to bushfires.
Contact council to get them to give you a call back to discuss what you can do on your property. Here is a link to the council form for a call back from their town planners.
Can you get a complying Development Certificate for your Granny Flat?
Here is a simple diagram from this government guide to complying development for granny flats.
Here are the other minimum requirements for granny flats:
Maximum Gross Floor Area of 60m²
Min 24m² of courtyard space
Conditions apply for bushfire, flood effected or if the site is near a heritage item, you can check this with Central Coast Council Online Mapping, turning the layers on and off.
Other requirements are outlined Below:
Lot Size: 450-600m²:
Max Gross Floor Area: 330m²
Min Landscaping: 20%
Min Frontage: 12m
Max Building Height: 8.5m
Front Setback: 4.5m
Side Setback: 0.9m
Rear Setback 3m
Lot Size: 600-900m²:
Max Gross Floor Area: 380m²
Min Landscaping: 25%
Min Frontage: 12m
Max Building Height: 8.5m
Front Setback: 4.5m
Side Setback: 0.9m
Rear Setback 3m
Lot Size: 450-600m²:
Max Gross Floor Area: 430m²
Min Landscaping: 35%
Min Frontage: 15m
Max Building Height: 8.5m
Front Setback: 6.5m
Side Setback: 1.5m
Rear Setback 5m
Lot Size:>1500m²:
Max Gross Floor Area: 430m²
Min Landscaping: 45%
Min Frontage: 15m
Max Building Height: 8.5m
Front Setback: 6.5m
Side Setback: 2.5m
Rear Setback 10m
What documents will I need for my Granny Flat for Complying Development?
Survey/ Site Plan: You will need to obtain an accurate survey of the site, here are some good quality surveyors we have used in the past: Clarke Dowdle & Associates and Intrax, a more afforadble option may be this new firm: C&A Surveyors, although we have not used them yet.
Architecture Plans and Specifications: Good Architect can provide you with both of these for a well oriented, beautifully designed Granny Flat.
BASIX Certificate: Good Architect can apply for this on your behalf, it will cost you $25 to submit on the NSW Planning Portal.
Structural Plans: around $2500, here are some Structural Engineers we have used in the past and would recommend: 5QS and Geotron
Section 10.7 (2) Planning Certificate: can be obtained from Central Coast Council through their Online Services Portal or through infocert.
What other information do I need?
Builder Details: You will need the builder details, note that this is different to carpentor details, it needs to be either a qualifed builder or you need to become and Owner Builder. If you plan to be an owner builder then there is more information available about that here.
Certifier: Either Central Coast Council or another private certifier, the fees for Central Coast Council are at the date of writing this is $2,345.00.
What do I do now?
Contact Good Architect for a free Site Assessment.