Overview

At its meeting of 24 March 2025, Council resolved to support amendments to the Woollahra Local Environmental Plan 2014 to insert provisions to prevent net dwelling loss.

Net dwelling loss occurs when the total number of dwellings on a whole development site, arising from new development, is less than the number of dwellings existing on the site prior to the development.

Woollahra is one of the densest Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Greater Sydney, with 4,458 people per square kilometre. This is reflected in 77.8% of the LGA’s dwellings being either medium or high density. There is limited available land for residential use that is not already built upon, and consequentially housing growth must come through infill development. Therefore, it is critical that land is efficiently used to supply housing for our community, and that new development does not reduce the number of dwellings on the site being built on.

Proposed amendments

We have prepared a planning proposal to insert a local provision into the Woollahra LEP 2014 to restrict net loss to no more than one dwelling or 15% of the existing dwellings on the site, whichever is greater.

The provision will operate as a development standard and will therefore be subject to Clause 4.6 Exceptions to development standards of the Woollahra LEP 2014. The provisions will apply to all land within the Woollahra LGA and all development applications and/or any subsequent modification applications.

The clause applies to development containing existing residential accommodation (except boarding houses, co-living housing, group homes, secondary dwellings and residential care facilities) where only three or more existing dwellings are contained in the whole development site (irrespective of the number of lots that comprise the site).

The purpose of this planning proposal is to reduce dwelling loss in a way that targets larger scale development, and does not impede on families seeking to create more living space by joining two dwellings.

Gateway determination

Council resolved to progress the planning proposal on 24 March 2025. Council staff then submitted the planning proposal to Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI) seeking a Gateway determination to proceed with formal public engagement. A Gateway determination is part of DPHI’s process, in which DPHI review strategic and site-specific merit and whether the planning proposal should proceed to public exhibition.

Council received a Gateway determination on 12 September 2025, determining that the planning proposal should proceed to public exhibition. Council was not designated to exercise local plan-making authority functions in relation to the planning proposal, meaning the DPHI will finalise the matter.

Have your say

You're invited to share your feedback on the proposed amendment. To have your say, please make a submission using the online submission form below. Alternatively, you can email or write to us and quote SC8574.

A hard copy of the exhibition material is available at the Woollahra Council Customer Service area, 536 New South Head Road, Double Bay – 8.00am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday.

All submissions received during the exhibition period will be considered by Council.

Public exhibition starts on Wednesday 15 October and closes on Wednesday 26 November 2025.

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