Georges River Council
Private building certifier in Blakehurst
On the Blakehurst ridge, slope comes first: how excavation and lower levels will look from below. On these sites we certify knockdown rebuilds, retaining walls, second storeys and pools.
NSW 2221
Class 1 homes and Class 10 structures
Local rules
Building on Blakehurst's ridge and bay slopes
A ridge above the bays
The suburb follows a ridge that reaches toward Kogarah Bay. Land around Carss Bush Park is hilly, and it drops steeply on the south side toward Kyle Bay and Shipwrights Bay. Homes range from Federation houses and bungalows to large modern rebuilds. Do not expect a flat building platform or a known construction type just from the street.
Mostly houses, some waterfront flats
Detached houses are by far the most common home. There are a few townhouses and some waterfront apartment blocks near the highway approach. Those flats do not signal redevelopment potential for a house lot on the slope. A bigger rebuild can also expose a tall undercroft when seen from lower down.
Foreshore and centre controls
If the LEP maps your lot as part of the foreshore scenic protection overlay, or the Foreshore Area itself, extra landscape and built form controls apply. Glimpsing the water from your windows does not put your lot on the map. The shops along the highway get a separate chapter on lot amalgamation and access, with rear entry from Stuart Lane for one stretch of highway frontage.
Typical work
Common projects and how they get approved
What owners build here
Blakehurst's sloping house blocks bring a particular kind of Class 1 and 10 work:
- Knockdown rebuilds and large renovations stepped to the land.
- Second storeys, starting with a survey and structural check.
- Pools and pool decks, where retaining walls can loom over lower lots.
- Garages and driveways on steep frontages.
- Granny flats and duplexes where usable land remains after access and landscaping.
Highway shops and apartment buildings sit beyond our classes and require a differently registered certifier. On steep lots, decks and retaining walls can shape how bulky a home appears just as strongly as the house.
How approval usually works
A sloping Blakehurst lot can still qualify for a CDC (fast-track approval under state codes), and slope is not the deciding factor by itself. The code, foreshore mapping and planned earthworks must all be checked against a detailed survey. The broad scenic overlay and the tighter Foreshore Area do different jobs, so confirm which, if either, covers your land. If the CDC route fails, lodge a DA with Georges River Council and then obtain a construction certificate. Before lodging, include building sections, retaining walls and levels, not only a street view and floor plan. Show how the house, its underside and planting look from the bay or the lot below. CertifiBuild checks foreshore maps and levels early for Blakehurst homes and plans inspections around the excavation and build sequence.
Our services
From approval to sign-off.
One certifier for your whole Blakehurst job, from the first plan check to the occupation certificate.
Local questions
Questions we hear about this suburb.
No two lots in Blakehurst are the same. Give us your address and we will check every map that affects it.
See the council pageCan my steep Blakehurst block still use a CDC?
Possibly. A steep block is not ruled out of a complying development certificate (CDC) by its slope. What counts is code compliance of the design, whether foreshore mapping covers the lot, and how much excavation and retaining the build needs. On the Blakehurst ridge, where land falls hard toward Kyle Bay and Shipwrights Bay, those questions need a detailed survey with levels. Bring sections, retaining wall details and a sketch of how the house underside will appear from below to the first review. A floor plan on its own will not answer it.
If I can see the water, do foreshore controls apply?
Not necessarily. Seeing the bay from your windows does not put your lot on the map. Check the local environmental plan (LEP) maps for your parcel. They show two separate overlays, a wide scenic overlay protecting the foreshore and a narrower Foreshore Area, each with its own purpose. If either covers your land, extra controls can shape excavation, landscaping, how the house looks from the water and any waterfront structures. Confirm which applies before you size up any pool, retaining work or new house against the complying development codes.
Can a pool go behind my new Blakehurst house?
It may, depending on the usable ground, how it will be approved and what the maps show. On Blakehurst’s falling sites, a pool and the retaining wall holding it up can tower over the lot below and become very visible from the water. On land inside the narrower Foreshore Area, specific rules on pool siting and visual impact apply. Plan the pool, its barrier, the digging and the planting as one design rather than adding the pool after the house. Sections that compare today’s ground with the finished levels make the impact clear for anyone assessing it.
Building in this suburb?
Send us the address first.
We check the local maps for your lot, confirm the approval path and quote in writing.