Sutherland Shire Council
Private building certifier in Burraneer
Burraneer is a peninsula of mostly freestanding houses between two bays. CertifiBuild certifies the homes, pools and outbuildings here, and waterfront owners first need to know which waterway zone they face.
NSW 2230
Class 1 homes and Class 10 structures
Local rules
Burraneer: peninsula houses facing three waterways
An old estate that became a suburb in 2008
Peninsula land first went on sale in 1889. The Holt-Sutherland Estate then released subdivisions from 1903. For years Burraneer was just a district name inside Woolooware and Cronulla, and only became a suburb with its own name in January 2008. Older plans may describe the area differently, so match them to your actual lot. In 2021, 85.4% of occupied homes were stand-alone houses. Attached homes were 9.8% and flats 4.2%. Most jobs are house-based, though some sit on shared sites with common driveways.
Which water your lot faces
Homes fronting Gunnamatta Bay or Burraneer Bay look onto W2 waters. Near Burraneer Point, homes facing the main channel of Port Hacking look onto W1 waters. The Sutherland Shire development control plan (DCP) gives each zone a separate chapter. These chapters treat jetties, moorings, boatsheds, stairs and marinas as different things. A short landing differs from permanent boat storage. If your lot is inland, these waterway rules do not apply just because the suburb is a peninsula.
Typical work
Common projects and how they get approved
What owners build here
Houses dominate here, so most work centres on the home and garden. Typical Class 1 and 10 jobs include:
- Additions at the back or on top of large detached homes on peninsula lots.
- Knockdown rebuilds when the current house no longer suits the family.
- Pools and barriers, sited to suit the house and any foreshore line.
- Garage alterations and new carports where street access allows.
- Extensions within attached developments, after checking what the approved site plan allows.
Boatsheds and jetties are separate waterway questions, and a granny flat's eligibility should be confirmed before anyone draws it.
How approval usually works
A simple house addition or pool on an unconstrained lot may suit a CDC, a fast-track approval under state rules. Waterfront work and bigger renovations often need a DA, then a construction certificate. Start with a fresh survey. It should show your title boundaries, what is already built and whatever foreshore building line the maps show. Place the pool, terrace and stairs against that, not against an old estate plan. If you want berths, settle how many and what they are for, since more boat storage can change how the proposal is classified. A boatshed must stay a boatshed, not a guest room. CertifiBuild confirms your frontage and foreshore position early, which stops boating and house plans being drawn on the wrong assumptions.
Our services
From approval to sign-off.
One certifier for your whole Burraneer job, from the first plan check to the occupation certificate.
Local questions
Questions we hear about this suburb.
No two lots in Burraneer are the same. Give us your address and we will check every map that affects it.
See the council pageCan a jetty be added to my Burraneer house approval?
No, a jetty is assessed as a separate item, not folded into the house approval. First confirm which waterway your Burraneer lot faces. Frontages on Gunnamatta Bay or Burraneer Bay look onto W2 waters, while lots near Burraneer Point that face Port Hacking’s main channel look onto W1 waters. The Sutherland Shire development control plan (DCP) deals with each zone in a separate chapter. You will also need to find where the high water line runs and settle any landowner consent. An existing house or older structure does not carry a bigger jetty through the same pathway.
Could I turn my Burraneer boatshed into a guest room?
No, a boating approval cannot be stretched to cover a bedroom. The Sutherland Shire waterway chapters keep boatsheds for storing boats and limit their form and use. If you want somewhere for guests to sleep, that space has to be assessed as residential use from the outset, with its own planning path and the construction standards that apply to habitable rooms. In Burraneer, start by confirming whether your lot faces W1 or W2 waters and where the surveyed high water mark sits. Then consider whether a separate habitable building suits the site.
I want to renovate my house and pool. Where do I start?
Begin with a current survey of your Burraneer lot and the approved plans for the existing house. The survey should show title boundaries, what is already built and whatever foreshore building line appears on the maps. Lay out the addition, pool, terraces and stairs together on that base, then pick the approval route. A straightforward job on an unconstrained lot may suit a complying development certificate (CDC). Waterfront work or a larger renovation usually needs a development application (DA), followed by a construction certificate. The 1889 and 1903 subdivision records are history, not your building envelope.
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.