What is a development control plan (DCP) in NSW?
Summary: a development control plan, or DCP, is your council's detailed rulebook for how development should look and work. The LEP says what's allowed in your zone, and the DCP covers the detail like setbacks, parking and landscaping. A design that misses a DCP control can still be approved if you can show why it works.
If council has written to say your plans don't comply with the DCP, you're in good company. A development control plan is the council's rulebook for how things should be built in its area. It's what planners are looking at when they tell you the side setback is too small or the driveway is in the wrong spot.
DCP and LEP: what each one does
Think of the local environmental plan (LEP) as the law and the DCP as the detailed style guide underneath it. The LEP decides what's allowed in your zone and sets the big limits, like building height and floor space. The DCP fills in the detail on how a building should sit on the lot and relate to its neighbours.
Both are written by your council, and a DA is assessed against both.
What a DCP usually covers
- Setbacks. How far the building has to sit back from the front, side and rear boundaries.
- Parking and driveways. How many car spaces, where they go and how wide the driveway can be.
- Landscaping and open space. How much of the lot has to stay as garden, and how much private yard each home gets.
- How it looks from the street. The scale of the building, the roof and the front fence.
- Neighbour impacts. Shadows on the house next door, privacy between windows and noise.
- Stormwater and waste. Where roof water goes and where the bins live.
Why the numbers change between councils
Every council writes its own DCP, so the numbers differ. A rear setback that works in one council area might fall short in the next. That's why a design that was approved for a friend in another suburb can come back with questions from yours. It's also why we read your council's DCP before we look at your plans.
Does a DCP apply to every project?
It matters most for a development application. Council assesses a DA against the DCP, so your plans and the planning report need to deal with it directly. A complying development certificate works differently. It's checked against the state codes, not the DCP. Our page on CDC and DA pathways explains the difference.
What if your design doesn't meet the DCP?
A DCP is a guide. It isn't an automatic pass or fail. Because a DA is judged on merit, a design that misses a control can still succeed if the planning report shows the aim of that control is met some other way. This is what a DCP variation justification does. Read more about DCP variation justification and development applications.
Here's an example. A narrow lot can't fit the usual side setback on both sides. The report shows that the windows facing the neighbour are high and small, the neighbour's living areas are on the other side of the house, and the shadows fall on a driveway and not a yard. That's the sort of argument that gets a variation across the line. Council needs to see it spelled out, though. It won't assume it.
How to find the DCP for your block
- Get a section 10.7 planning certificate from your council. It lists your zone and the overlays on your land.
- Find your council's DCP on its website. They're usually split into chapters by type of development, so read the ones that match your project.
- Compare your design with those controls before you spend money on drawings.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a LEP and a DCP?
The LEP is the law. It sets your zone, what's allowed there and the main limits. The DCP is the detailed guide underneath it, covering things like setbacks, parking and landscaping.
Do I have to meet every DCP control?
Not always. Council assesses a DA on its merits, so a design that misses a DCP number can still be approved if the report shows the aim of that control is met in another way.
Where do I find my council's DCP?
On your council's website. A section 10.7 planning certificate tells you your zone and which controls apply to your block.
Does a DCP apply to a CDC?
Not in the same way. A complying development certificate is checked against the state codes instead, so a CDC doesn't go through the DCP assessment a DA does.
Services related to this article
Development Application (DA)
A Development Application is the merit-assessed approval pathway.
DCP Variation Justification
A Development Control Plan sets out council guidelines rather than statutory development standards.
Planning Reports
A Development Application is only as strong as the planning argument attached to it.
Construction certificate in NSW - what it is and when you need one
Summary: a construction certificate is the sign-off that lets your builder start. It confirms your detailed plans meet the building code and your development consent. It comes after the DA is approved, and many consents list things you have to sort out before it can be issued.
NSW Planning Process FAQs - DA vs CDC, Clause 4.6 and Appeals
Summary: the process questions that come up regardless of project type - DA versus CDC, how a Clause 4.6 variation actually works, realistic timelines, and what to do after a refusal. Here are straight answers to the eleven questions that apply across residential, commercial and industrial projects.
How long does council approval take in Sydney?
Summary: a Complying Development Certificate can be issued in 2–3 weeks where the project qualifies. A standard Development Application is typically 6–10 weeks with council, plus 2–4 weeks to prepare the package. What moves those numbers is almost never council being slow.
Want this checked against your actual property?
General guidance can only go so far - zoning, overlays and council controls change the answer. Send us the address and we will confirm which approval pathway applies, free.