First-floor additions are a popular way for homeowners in Sydney’s Inner West to increase space without sacrificing outdoor areas. Whether you’re looking to accommodate a growing family or enhance your home’s functionality, a first-floor addition can be an effective solution. However, navigating the local council regulations is crucial to ensure your renovation complies with planning requirements.
Inner West Council operates under three distinct Development Control Plans (DCPs), depending on whether your property is in the former Marrickville, Ashfield, or Leichhardt council areas. These plans influence the specific controls governing first-floor additions, meaning the rules can vary slightly depending on your location. In this post, we’ll outline key considerations for first-floor additions in the Inner West, including height restrictions, floor space ratios, and approval pathways.
DA or CDC: Which Approval Pathway?
One of the first questions to address is whether your first-floor addition requires a Development Application (DA) or can be approved via a Complying Development Certificate (CDC).
- A DA is typically required for more complex projects or when the site has specific constraints (e.g., heritage conservation areas, flooding or high aircraft noise). The DA process involves a formal submission to council, and neighbours may be consulted.
- A CDC is a faster pathway that can be approved by a private certifier, but it requires your project to meet specific guidelines outlined in the State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP).
The choice between DA and CDC is project-specific and depends on factors such as the location of your property and whether your project complies with CDC rules for setbacks, height, and floor space.
It's important to assess the conditions of your site before determining the best approval pathway. Often, a initial consultation with your designer or certifier can clarify whether your addition qualifies for CDC approval or needs to go through the DA process. However other times it can be more ambiguous until an accurate survey is provided and design begins.
Height Restrictions and Building Envelope
Height restrictions are a key aspect of council regulations for first-floor additions in the Inner West. Generally, the maximum height for residential properties is 8.5 metres, but this can vary slightly depending on a number of conditions. It is rare to have an addition extend to the full 8.5m on a standard residential site as other controls like overshadowing come into play.
- Setbacks: Council regulations require setbacks from the boundaries to ensure the addition doesn’t dominate the streetscape or negatively impact neighbours. Setbacks can vary across Marrickville, Ashfield, and Leichhardt areas and between DA or CDC.
- Building Envelope: The building envelope defines the maximum allowable size and shape of your addition, ensuring that it fits within the site’s constraints without overshadowing neighbouring properties.
Your designer will help ensure your plans adhere to these height and setback requirements, ensuring compliance with your DCP.
Floor Space Ratio (FSR)
The Floor Space Ratio (FSR) is another crucial regulation that dictates how much of your site can be built on. The FSR is calculated as a ratio of the total floor area of the building to the size of the lot.
For example, if your site has an FSR of 0.5:1, this means the total floor area of the home can only cover 50% of the total land area. For a site area of 300m², this means you have have up to 150m² of internal floor area, split across all the levels of the dwelling.
FSR limits vary depending on site and are only applicable for DA, so it’s important to understand how this ratio affects the size of your first-floor addition. CDC has a similar metric, known as Gross Floor Area (GFA). At Banksia Building Design we can take the stress out of this for you and ensure your project complies!
Heritage and Conservation Area Requirements
If your property is located in a heritage conservation area or is heritage-listed, additional regulations apply to ensure that any new addition is sympathetic to the existing streetscape and building character.
- Design Compatibility: The addition must respect the heritage character of the home, using materials and design elements that complement the original structure.
- Visual Impact: In conservation areas, councils may impose stricter controls to ensure that the first-floor addition doesn’t detract from the historic character of the neighbourhood. This often means that the addition needs to be hidden behind the existing front roof faces so it's not visible from the street.
Working with a designer who understands these requirements is essential to avoid delays or potential rejections in your application.
Privacy Considerations
When adding a first floor, protecting the privacy of neighbouring properties is a key concern for council. Inner West Council has regulations to prevent overlooking and maintain privacy, including:
- Setback and Window Placement: Ensuring that windows are placed in a way that avoids direct views into neighbouring homes or yards.
- Screening Solutions: Using screens, frosted glass, or strategically placed planting to provide privacy while maintaining natural light.
Overshadowing and Solar Access
Ensuring that your addition doesn’t block sunlight to your backyard or neighbouring properties is another critical part of the council’s planning controls. Overshadowing regulations require you to demonstrate that your addition won’t limit solar access to neighbouring homes.
- Solar Access: Your addition should be designed to maximise sunlight for your home while considering the impact on surrounding properties. Councils often require shadow diagrams as part of the application process to show how the proposed addition will affect light throughout the day.
Different DCPs have slight variations in how solar access and overshadowing are managed, so it’s important to design your addition with these controls in mind.
Neighbour Consultation and Approval Process
For most first-floor additions that require a DA, neighbour consultation is a standard part of the process. Neighbours will be notified of the proposed changes and have the opportunity to raise concerns about issues like privacy, overshadowing, or views.
To minimise objections, it’s helpful to communicate with your neighbours early in the design process and address their concerns in your plans.
If your addition complies with the CDC controls and can be approved through a private certifier, then neighbours are notified however they do not get to lodge feedback or objections.
Material and Design Compatibility
To ensure your first-floor addition blends with the existing home, Inner West Council requires that the materials and design used are compatible with the original structure and the surrounding neighbourhood. This can include:
- Roof Form: Ensuring that the roofline of the addition matches or complements the existing roof if visible from the street.
- External Finishes: Using materials like brick, timber, or render that are consistent with the character of the home.
If the addition is not visible from the street there is more flexibility in appearance. In heritage areas, these considerations are particularly important, but even in non-heritage areas, the council will assess the visual impact of the addition.
Waste Management and Construction Impact
During approvals process, the council requires a waste management plan to ensure that building waste is disposed of responsibly. Additionally, you’ll need to consider the impact of the construction on neighbours, including:
- Noise and Dust: Managing noise levels and dust during construction to minimise disruption.
- Scaffolding and Access: Ensuring that scaffolding doesn’t block access to neighbouring properties or public pathways.
A good local builder is essential as they will be experienced at dealing with these constraints on small sites.
Sustainability and BASIX Requirements
All first-floor additions must comply with BASIX (Building Sustainability Index) requirements, which ensure that new builds meet energy and water efficiency standards.
This can include:
- Water Tanks: Incorporating rainwater tanks to meet water efficiency targets if required. Some council's require tanks above and beyond the BASIX controls.
- Insulation: Ensuring that the new addition is well-insulated to reduce energy consumption.
- Solar Panels: Installing solar panels to improve the home’s energy efficiency and reduce long-term electricity costs.
Learn more about BASIX certificates in our other post here.
Conclusion
Navigating the regulations for a first-floor addition in Inner West Council can be complex, especially with the three separate DCPs governing different areas. Whether you’re pursuing a DA or CDC, understanding how height limits, floor space ratios, and heritage requirements affect your project can help provide a better understanding of what's possible.
At Banksia Building Design, we’re experts in handling the council’s requirements and designing first-floor additions that maximise space and functionality while complying with local regulations. Contact us today to discuss your project!
