Kiama Municipal Council
Private building certifier in Bombo
Bombo homes sit beside a quarry headland with its own geological heritage listing, so owners first separate their lot from that site. CertifiBuild certifies additions, decks, garages, pools and knockdown rebuilds.
NSW 2533
Class 1 homes and Class 10 structures
Local rules
Homes beside Bombo's basalt quarry headland
A quarrying past
Bombo grew around basalt quarrying. Trains came in 1887 and linked the quarries to Sydney. That history explains why houses, rail lines and worked rock sit side by side. It does not mean a given home sits on quarried or contaminated ground. Bombo is a small locality where stand-alone houses dominate almost completely; semis and townhouses are few.
The geological heritage site
The geological site on Bombo Headland, centred on the old quarry, is heritage listed in its own right. What matters for your project is whether your surveyed lot falls within the listed area or another mapped restriction. Seeing the headland from your balcony is not the test. The coastal basalt columns also say nothing certain about the ground under your house, so site investigation should guide any excavation.
The quarry rehabilitation project
Council also points to a plan to rehabilitate Bombo Quarry, which is being handled as State Significant Development. It will not create a new housing estate, and it gives nearby owners no extra building rights. For existing homes, start with your zoning, title and approved footprint.
Typical work
Common projects and how they get approved
What owners build here
Since most of Bombo is detached housing, our jobs here mostly improve homes that already exist. A beach outlook often prompts an upstairs living area or larger glazing. Typical jobs include:
- Upper living levels and rear additions, tested for privacy, height and coastal exposure.
- Replacement decks built for the salt and wind of the site.
- Garages, including lower garages that need excavation and retaining design.
- Pools and alfresco roofs, sized to the real backyard and drainage.
- Knockdown rebuilds on existing house lots.
Granny flats are a separate check against the lot's own standards, whatever open land lies nearby.
How approval usually works
Start by gathering your title, past consents and a planning certificate. Then get the listing boundary and the heritage map, and place your proposal on a survey rather than an aerial photo. If heritage rules do cover the lot, the kind of work and the state code decide CDC (fast-track approval under state rules) eligibility, not distance from the headland. If a DA (council approval) is needed, the consent and construction certificate should describe the actual house work. For a pool or deeper garage, bring in geotechnical and structural engineers where the ground calls for it. Specify wind and corrosion protection to suit your home's exposure, and carry those details into the construction drawings. CertifiBuild checks heritage extent and site conditions with you early, so Bombo owners know their pathway before committing to plans.
Our services
From approval to sign-off.
One certifier for your whole Bombo job, from the first plan check to the occupation certificate.
Local questions
Questions we hear about this suburb.
No two lots in Bombo are the same. Give us your address and we will check every map that affects it.
See the council pageCan I add a granny flat to my Bombo block?
Possibly. Look at your house block by itself, separate from the nearby quarry land and the rehabilitation plan, which gives neighbouring owners no extra building rights. Check the lot’s size and zoning, past consents and any mapped limits, including whether the listed geological site touches your boundary. Open land near the headland does not count toward your yard. Most Bombo homes are detached, so a granny flat behind the house can work where space, access and drainage allow. Your findings and design then decide between a fast-track certificate and a council application.
Is my house covered by the quarry heritage listing?
The suburb name alone will not tell you. The geological site on Bombo Headland, centred on the old quarry, has its own listed boundary. Get the heritage map and compare it with your title and a survey, not an aerial photo. Being able to see the headland is not the test. If the listing does reach your lot, both the heritage rules and the State code for your type of work apply, so eligibility for complying development depends on the job itself rather than how close you are to the quarry.
Before excavating for a lower garage, what needs checking?
Record existing ground levels, how deep you plan to dig and how the house above will stay supported while work happens. Bombo’s basalt history does not tell you what lies under a particular home, so testing the ground may be needed to plan for rock, groundwater and retaining walls. Bring in geotechnical and structural engineers where the ground calls for it. Show driveway access and drainage on the approval drawings too, so the whole garage works as one design. Specify wind and corrosion protection to suit the coastal exposure.
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.