What can I build on my block?

What does the site checker read for my block?

It reads the same government maps I check before I start any design, and sets out each answer beside the map it came from.

• The lot itself, from the NSW cadastre: lot area, frontage width, depth, whether it is a corner lot, which way the street faces and the Lot/DP.
• The planning controls, from the Central Coast LEP maps on the NSW Planning Portal: zoning, height of buildings, floor space ratio, minimum lot size, land reserved for acquisition, heritage and the foreshore building line.
• The ground and water layers: acid sulfate soils, mine subsidence, terrestrial biodiversity, riparian land, drinking water catchment, groundwater vulnerability and the airport obstacle limitation surface.
• Flooding, from three separate sources: Central Coast Council's flood precincts, the NSW Planning Portal flood planning map and NSW SES flood extents. My guide to checking flood risk on the Central Coast explains what a flood layer means for a build.
• Bushfire, from the NSW RFS certified bush fire prone land map, council's own map and NPWS fire history. See is my property at risk of bushfire.
• What the zone allows: the land uses the Central Coast LEP 2022 permits in your block's zone.

What can't the site checker tell me?

It cannot give you the official answer. That comes from four documents, and each one has a job the checker does not do.

• A section 10.7 planning certificate from Central Coast Council is the legal statement of the controls on your land, and most certifiers want one before a complying development. Here is how to apply for a s10.7 certificate.
• A flood information certificate gives the minimum habitable floor level you have to build to. Here is how to apply for a flood information certificate.
• A bushfire report sets your Bushfire Attack Level (BAL). A map can tell you the block is bush fire prone, but only a BAL assessment tells you what you have to build to.
• A survey fixes your boundaries, levels and services. The cadastre is a good guide, but it is not a survey, and it will not show a sewer main through the site, how steep the site is or the easements and covenants on the title.

Why would an architect check these before I buy or design?

These layers decide the design before anyone draws a line. The lot size decides whether a dual occupancy is possible at all. A flood layer can lift the floor, and council now wants the car parking at that level too. A BAL of 40 or FZ closes the complying development pathway, so the job becomes a development application and takes longer.

I would rather find those things in the first hour than after you have exchanged or paid for drawings. If you are still deciding on a block, work through my checklist for buying land on the Central Coast alongside this report.

What should I do with my report?

Start with the guide for what you want to build: a new home, a granny flat, a duplex, townhouses, apartments or an addition. The buildable envelope tool shows the area your setbacks leave for a house, and the Central Coast DCP and LEP cheat sheet links the controls behind every result.

If the report raises more questions than it answers, book a free chat with me and we can go through your block together.