City of Canada Bay
Private building certifier in Cabarita
Cabarita sits on the Parramatta River with two waterfront estates that have their own planning rules. We help house owners work out which set of rules applies, then certify their building work.
NSW 2137
Class 1 homes and Class 10 structures
Local rules
Waterfront estates and older streets
Who lives here
At the 2021 Census, Cabarita had 1,933 residents in 790 private dwellings. Of the homes occupied, 42.4% were detached houses, 41.0% apartments and 15.7% semis or townhouses. So houses and units are roughly balanced.
Cape Cabarita
Council's development control plan (DCP) gives Cape Cabarita a chapter of its own. It links roof shapes, fences and spacing between buildings to keeping views open across the estate. It also deals with how homes face the nearby park and the golf club land. So even a small change near a boundary can affect views, access or an approved setback.
Edgewood and Kendall Inlet
A separate DCP chapter deals with the Edgewood and Kendall Inlet estate, built on the old Dulux site. It aims to protect two historic homes, Correys House and Strathroy, along with the land around them. It also keeps walking and cycling links through the estate. Keeping the foreshore open to the public, and sunlight on that path, are design issues too.
Homes outside both estates
Other houses follow the Canada Bay Local Environmental Plan 2013, the general DCP and State codes. The estate rules stop at the estate boundary, so check your own lot's mapping first.
Typical work
Common projects and how they get approved
What owners build here
For Class 1 and 10 work in Cabarita, we commonly see:
- Rear living additions. Outside the estates, the general house controls are the test.
- Roof changes and upper levels. Inside Cape Cabarita, roof form is tied to view corridors, so elevations matter.
- Fences, stairs and terraces. A strip of land that looks unused may form an approved setback or a public path.
Apartment and balcony work in the unit complexes is Class 2. That falls outside our scope, so the job would need a certifier holding registration in that class.
How approval usually works
Certain minor works are exempt when they satisfy set standards. Otherwise there are two routes: a CDC, granted quickly by a certifier where a State code is met, or a development application (DA) to council with a construction certificate after it. In either estate, changing an approved design often points to a DA. Start with a measured survey, the original estate plans and your title details. We can then check which chapter applies and steer the project until the final certificate is issued.
Our services
From approval to sign-off.
One certifier for your whole Cabarita job, from the first plan check to the occupation certificate.
Local questions
Questions we hear about this suburb.
No two lots in Cabarita are the same. Give us your address and we will check every map that affects it.
See the council pageDoes every Cabarita waterfront home have the same setback?
No. Cape Cabarita and the Edgewood and Kendall Inlet estate each have their own development control plan (DCP) chapter, with layouts tied to views, open space and public paths. Homes outside both estates follow the Canada Bay Local Environmental Plan 2013, the general DCP and state codes. So the setback that suits one Cabarita waterfront house may not suit the next. A strip of land that looks spare can be an approved setback or part of a public path. Confirm which estate, if any, your lot sits in, then measure from a current survey.
Why does the Kendall Inlet plan talk about Correys House and Strathroy?
The Edgewood and Kendall Inlet chapter names those two historic homes because it sets out to protect them and the land around them. This estate occupies the old Dulux site, so any work there is weighed for how it touches their settings, as well as on walking and cycling links and sunlight along the foreshore path. It does not follow that all Cabarita homes carry a heritage listing. If your home sits outside the estate, check the normal heritage map in the local environmental plan (LEP). Gather the original estate plans and a measured site survey before you start design.
Is height the only thing that matters for a new fence in Cape Cabarita?
No. In Cape Cabarita, fences are part of how the estate keeps views open and how homes meet the park and golf club land. So position, openness and any effect on public access count as much as height. Title restrictions can also apply. Some minor fences may be exempt where they meet set standards, but do not assume that inside the estate. Read the Cape Cabarita chapter of the development control plan (DCP) and check your title before choosing a design. If the fence changes an approved layout, a development application (DA) is the likely route.
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.