32suburbs mapped in Northern BeachesAll under Northern Beaches Council, so one lodgement process covers the region.

New South Wales · Region

Home builders in Northern Beaches

Bushfire-prone land is mapped on 29 of these 32 suburbs and not on the other 3. Where it is mapped, a BAL rating drives materials and cost from the design stage rather than arriving as a formality at the end.

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32Northern Beaches suburbs read parcel by parcel from New South Wales's own planning data

1Council covers them all — one lodgement process across the region

5Distinct overlay families mapped across these suburbs, each one something a builder prices differently

Northern Beaches suburb by suburb

Suburb	Residential zones	Height limit	Bushfire-prone	Overlays
Avalon Beach	R2 Low Density, R3 Medium Density	—	Mapped	3
Balgowlah	R1 General, R2 Low Density, R3 Medium Density	8.5m	Mapped	3
Balgowlah Heights	R2 Low Density	8.5m	Mapped	2
Bayview	R2 Low Density, R3 Medium Density, R5 Large Lot	—	Mapped	2
Belrose	R2 Low Density, R3 Medium Density	—	Mapped	1
Bilgola Plateau	R2 Low Density	—	Mapped	1
Church Point	R5 Large Lot	—	Mapped	2
Clontarf	R2 Low Density	8.5m	Mapped	3
Collaroy	R2 Low Density, R3 Medium Density	—	Mapped	4
Collaroy Plateau	R2 Low Density	—	Mapped	2
Curl Curl	R2 Low Density	—	None mapped	3
Davidson	R2 Low Density	—	Mapped	0
Dee Why	R2 Low Density, R3 Medium Density	11m	Mapped	3
Duffys Forest	RU4 Primary Production Small Lots	—	Mapped	1
Elanora Heights	R2 Low Density, R5 Large Lot	—	Mapped	1
Fairlight	R1 General, R2 Low Density, R3 Medium Density	8.5m	None mapped	2
Forestville	R2 Low Density	—	Mapped	2
Frenchs Forest	R2 Low Density, R3 Medium Density	—	Mapped	3
Freshwater	R2 Low Density, R3 Medium Density	—	None mapped	3
Ingleside	R2 Low Density, R5 Large Lot	—	Mapped	3
Killarney Heights	R2 Low Density	—	Mapped	4
Manly	R1 General, R2 Low Density, R3 Medium Density	8.5m	Mapped	4
Mona Vale	R2 Low Density, R3 Medium Density	—	Mapped	2
Narrabeen	R2 Low Density, R3 Medium Density	—	Mapped	2
Newport	R2 Low Density, R3 Medium Density	4m	Mapped	2
North Curl Curl	R2 Low Density	—	Mapped	3
North Narrabeen	R2 Low Density, R3 Medium Density	—	Mapped	1
Palm Beach	R2 Low Density	—	Mapped	3
Seaforth	R1 General, R2 Low Density	8.5m	Mapped	4
Terrey Hills	R2 Low Density	—	Mapped	1
Warriewood	R2 Low Density, R3 Medium Density	—	Mapped	1
Whale Beach	C4 Environmental Living	—	Mapped	1

Reading the table

Bushfire-prone land is mapped in Avalon Beach, Balgowlah Heights, Balgowlah, Bayview, Belrose, Bilgola Plateau, Church Point, Clontarf, Collaroy Plateau, Collaroy, Davidson, Dee Why, Duffys Forest, Elanora Heights, Forestville, Frenchs Forest, Ingleside, Killarney Heights, Manly, Mona Vale, Narrabeen, Newport, North Curl Curl, North Narrabeen, Palm Beach, Seaforth, Terrey Hills, Warriewood and Whale Beach, but not in Curl Curl, Fairlight and Freshwater.
Heritage mapping runs from 354 in Manly down to none in Davidson.
5 overlay families are mapped across the region; Collaroy carries the most at 4.
The 32 mapped suburbs cover 126 km² between them — Ingleside is the largest at 18 km² and Whale Beach the smallest at 0.5 km².

What is mapped across Northern Beaches

Mapped only in some suburbs	Where (in the suburb, not on a given block)
Heritage — Item - General	Avalon Beach, Balgowlah, Balgowlah Heights, Bayview, Belrose, Bilgola Plateau, Church Point, Clontarf, Collaroy, Collaroy Plateau, Curl Curl, Dee Why, Duffys Forest, Fairlight, Forestville, Frenchs Forest, Freshwater, Ingleside, Killarney Heights, Manly, Mona Vale, Narrabeen, Newport, North Curl Curl, North Narrabeen, Palm Beach, Seaforth, Terrey Hills, Warriewood and Whale Beach
Heritage — Item - Landscape	Balgowlah, Balgowlah Heights, Clontarf, Collaroy, Collaroy Plateau, Curl Curl, Dee Why, Fairlight, Frenchs Forest, Freshwater, Killarney Heights, Manly, Narrabeen, North Curl Curl and Seaforth
Heritage — Item - Archaeological	Avalon Beach, Balgowlah, Bayview, Church Point, Clontarf, Collaroy, Elanora Heights, Ingleside, Manly, Mona Vale, Newport, Palm Beach and Seaforth
Heritage — Conservation Area - Landscape	Collaroy, Curl Curl, Dee Why, Forestville, Frenchs Forest, Freshwater, Ingleside, Killarney Heights, North Curl Curl and Seaforth
Heritage — Conservation Area - General	Avalon Beach, Killarney Heights, Manly and Palm Beach

Which Northern Beaches suburb suits which build

Room to move
Ingleside is the largest at 18.1 km², Whale Beach the most compact at 0.5 km².
Fewest planning controls
Davidson, with 0 overlay families mapped against 4 in Collaroy.
Knockdown rebuild without a heritage question
Davidson — no heritage records intersect it. Manly carries 354.
No bushfire assessment
Curl Curl, Fairlight, Freshwater — bushfire-prone land is not mapped in them. It is in Avalon Beach, Balgowlah, Balgowlah Heights, Bayview, Belrose, Bilgola Plateau, Church Point, Clontarf, Collaroy, Collaroy Plateau, Davidson, Dee Why, Duffys Forest, Elanora Heights, Forestville, Frenchs Forest, Ingleside, Killarney Heights, Manly, Mona Vale, Narrabeen, Newport, North Curl Curl, North Narrabeen, Palm Beach, Seaforth, Terrey Hills, Warriewood, Whale Beach.
Biggest minimum lot size
Warriewood at 10000-19999 m² minimum, against 250-299 m² minimum in Manly.

Questions about building in Northern Beaches

Which council approves building work in Northern Beaches?

Northern Beaches Council, for all 32 mapped Northern Beaches suburbs, under the Pittwater Local Environmental Plan 2014.

Is bushfire-prone land mapped in Northern Beaches?

In Avalon Beach, Balgowlah, Balgowlah Heights, Bayview, Belrose, Bilgola Plateau, Church Point, Clontarf, Collaroy, Collaroy Plateau, Davidson, Dee Why, Duffys Forest, Elanora Heights, Forestville, Frenchs Forest, Ingleside, Killarney Heights, Manly, Mona Vale, Narrabeen, Newport, North Curl Curl, North Narrabeen, Palm Beach, Seaforth, Terrey Hills, Warriewood and Whale Beach — not in Curl Curl, Fairlight and Freshwater.

Which Northern Beaches suburb has the most planning constraints?

Collaroy: 4 overlay families against 0 in Davidson.

What planning zones apply across Northern Beaches?

6: C4 Environmental Living, R1 General Residential, R2 Low Density Residential, R3 Medium Density Residential, R5 Large Lot Residential and RU4 Primary Production Small Lots. Widest range: Balgowlah, at 3.

Is heritage mapped in Northern Beaches?

Heritage records intersecting each suburb: Manly 354, Palm Beach 83, Fairlight 75, Balgowlah 59, Seaforth 28, Avalon Beach 25, Collaroy 25, Freshwater 24, Mona Vale 24, Dee Why 20, Narrabeen 19, Newport 18, Balgowlah Heights 14, Bayview 14, Ingleside 13, Clontarf 12, Frenchs Forest 10, Killarney Heights 9, Church Point 7, North Curl Curl 6, Bilgola Plateau 5, Collaroy Plateau 5, Curl Curl 5, North Narrabeen 5, Warriewood 5, Forestville 4, Elanora Heights 2, Whale Beach 2, Belrose 1, Duffys Forest 1, Terrey Hills 1. None in Davidson.

What is the minimum lot size across Northern Beaches?

Avalon Beach: 700-749 m² minimum; Balgowlah: 300-349 m² minimum; Balgowlah Heights: 500-524 m² minimum; Belrose: 600-624 m² minimum; Clontarf: 900-999 m² minimum; Collaroy: 600-624 m² minimum; Fairlight: 250-299 m² minimum; Frenchs Forest: 600-624 m² minimum; Manly: 250-299 m² minimum; Mona Vale: 700-749 m² minimum; Narrabeen: 600-624 m² minimum; North Narrabeen: 550-574 m² minimum; Palm Beach: 700-749 m² minimum; Seaforth: 900-999 m² minimum; Warriewood: 10000-19999 m² minimum.

Lodge with: Northern Beaches Council. Read 2026-09-20.

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