Greenfield Housing Code

The Greenfield Housing Code helps speed up the delivery of new homes in greenfield areas (new release areas), supporting a growing population in NSW, and improving housing affordability.

A complying development certificate issued under the code can be approved within as little as 20 days. The code forms part of the State Environmental Planning Policy (Exempt and Complying Development Codes) 2008 (Codes SEPP).

The code is designed to:

• simplify the complying development standards for greenfield areas
• tailor development standards to reflect market demand, housing types and typical lot sizes
• increase the use of complying development to reduce approval timeframes.

Consistent with the Housing Code, the proposed development must be permissible under the council’s Local Environmental Plan (LEP) to be assessed as complying development.

Complying development cannot be carried out in:

• state or locally listed heritage items and heritage conservation areas
• land reserved for public purposes
• environmentally sensitive areas and areas excluded by councils based on local circumstances.

For more information, read the State Environmental Planning Policy (Exempt and Complying Development) 2008.

Applicants can check if their property is in a greenfield area and eligible to use the Greenfield Housing Code by viewing the NSW Planning Portal Spatial Viewer or NSW Legislation.

Simplified and tailored development standards

The Greenfield Housing Code was developed with input from the community and stakeholders. It includes standards that are tailored to suit greenfield sites such as:

• setback controls
• minimum landscaping controls
• a tree planted in the front and rear gardens.

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A council or a registered certifier can approve a complying development but only if the work complies entirely with the development standards in the Code.

The standards for complying development are designed to balance the rights of property owners with the need to protect the amenity of neighbouring residents. Buildings must be set back from side boundaries in proportion to their height, meaning that as a building becomes taller, a greater setback is required. These requirements help ensure new development does not adversely impact people living nearby.

The Greenfield Housing Code commenced on 6 July 2018.

The Greenfield Housing Code was developed in close consultation with councils and industry stakeholders to ensure amenity, privacy and design considerations were incorporated into the development standards. This collaborative approach helps deliver high quality design outcomes for new homes in greenfield areas.

This image illustrates when the Greenfield Housing Code came into effect, and outlines the periods during which the Housing Code and the Transitional Housing Code could be used.

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There was a 3-year transitional period until July 2019, during which applicants could choose to use the Greenfield Housing Code or the Housing Code or Transitional Code.

The Greenfield Housing Code commenced on 6 July 2018 to provide the community and stakeholders with time to understand the code.

From 6 July, applicants undertaking complying development in a Greenfield Housing Code area could use the Greenfield Housing Code. Alternatively, they could use the Housing Code until 6 July 2021 or the Transitional Housing Code (formerly the General Housing Code) until 13 July 2019.

After 13 July 2019, the complying development approvals in Greenfield areas must rely on the provisions of the Greenfield Housing Code.

If a planning proposal is rezoning areas for greenfield housing, the Greenfield Housing Code maps should be updated at the same time as any LEP mapping is updated. This will be facilitated by the Department.

Easy-to-use summary tables of the development standards created for industry professionals, including council planners, certifiers, building designers and architects: