Low and Mid-Rise Housing Development
The Low and Mid-Rise Housing reforms allow terraces, manor houses, and residential flat buildings of two to six storeys on sites that were previously limited to houses or duplexes, where the site sits within a set walking distance of a train station or a nominated town centre in an eligible council area. Whether a given site qualifies depends on its distance from the relevant catchment, its zone, and its area - three things that need checking against the current maps before feasibility is assessed on anything else.
Free consultation
- DA typically 10–16 weeks · feasibility check same or next business day
- From $6,500 + GST for a feasibility and planning package
- Quoted fixed after a free scope check
What the reform actually does
Rather than creating a new zone, the reform amends the housing and standard planning controls that already apply to residential land, so that within a defined walking catchment of eligible train stations and town centres, additional housing types - and in mid-rise catchments, apartment buildings up to six storeys - become a permissible form of development where the existing zone previously capped a site at a house or a dual occupancy.
Why feasibility has to come before design
The scale that is genuinely achievable is set by the interaction of the site's distance from the catchment centre, its area and frontage, its zone, and any overlay - heritage, flooding, foreshore scenic protection - that can exclude or reduce what is otherwise permitted. Commissioning architectural concepts before this is tested is the most expensive mistake we see on sites affected by this reform, because the achievable envelope can differ sharply from what a zoning map alone suggests.
What a DA at this scale typically needs
A planning report addressing the applicable built form and design controls, a Statement of Environmental Effects, survey, and - depending on scale and location - traffic, acoustic, and stormwater or flooding assessments. Sites near a station catchment sometimes also trigger transport and parking assessment specific to that location.
How it works
Catchment and zone check
Same or next business day
Distance from the relevant station or town centre, current zoning, and whether the site is otherwise excluded (heritage, flooding, foreshore).
Yield feasibility
3–5 days
Achievable height, floor space ratio and dwelling yield under the applicable built form controls.
Documentation
4–6 weeks
Planning report, design compliance schedule and coordinated specialist reports for the scale of the built form.
Lodgement and determination
10–16 weeks
Lodged and managed through to determination, including any request for further information.
What we take off your hands
What EHUP handles
- Confirming whether your site sits within an eligible station or town centre catchment
- Checking the applicable height, floor space ratio and built form controls for the site
- Yield and feasibility assessment before any design is commissioned
- Planning report and design compliance schedule for lodgement
- Coordinating survey, traffic, acoustic and other specialist reports the built form triggers
What you don't have to deal with
- Assuming a nearby approval means your own site qualifies
- Commissioning a design at a scale the site's actual catchment and zone do not support
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my site is close enough to a station or town centre?
Eligibility is measured by walking distance from a defined point at the station or centre, not a straight line on a map, and the applicable distance depends on which tier of reform applies to your council. We check the current mapping against your specific address rather than relying on a general sense of "close to the station."
Does this apply in every council area?
No - the reforms have been rolled out in stages, and which councils and which catchments are covered has expanded over time. Some council areas have additional local planning controls layered over the state reform. We confirm the current status for your specific council before advising on yield.
What building types does this actually allow?
Depending on the site's zone and its distance from the catchment centre, terraces, manor houses, and residential flat buildings up to six storeys can become permissible where previously only a house or a dual occupancy was. The exact height and floor space ratio allowed steps down with distance from the station or centre - a site right at the catchment boundary is treated differently from one at its edge.
Is this still assessed as a Development Application?
Generally yes for buildings of this scale - this is a change to what is permissible and to the applicable development standards, not a complying development pathway. It remains a merit-assessed DA, with neighbour notification and referral to specialist reports depending on the built form and site constraints.
Related services
Low & Medium Density (LMR)
Low and medium density residential development - dual occupancies, manor houses, terraces, townhouses and multi-dwelling housing - sits in the most contested part of the NSW planning framework.
Residential Council Approval
Most residential developments do not need a full Development Application.
Preliminary Planning Assessment
A preliminary planning assessment is the report you commission before spending money on design.
Why clients choose EHUP
- 10+
- 250+
- 14
- 1
Not sure which approval you need?
Tell us the address and what you want to do. We'll help identify the appropriate planning pathway, whether it is exempt development, complying development or a full DA. Your first conversation is free.