Sutherland Shire Council
Private building certifier in Grays Point
Grays Point is almost entirely freestanding homes on sloping land above Port Hacking. CertifiBuild certifies house work, pools and outbuildings here, and the first issue is usually excavation on the slope.
NSW 2232
Class 1 homes and Class 10 structures
Local rules
Grays Point slopes, foreshores and family homes
Nearly all separate houses
In February 1902, a private auction offered 11 blocks with water frontage near where the North West Arm meets Port Hacking. Lots have changed since, so those early dimensions say nothing about your boundary. In 2021, detached houses made up 98.0% of occupied homes, and not one flat was recorded. Most projects are about adapting one house to its garden and neighbours.
Landform rules on the slope
The Sutherland Shire development control plan (DCP) has zone-based landform rules for houses. Where the zone is C4 environmental living, it asks for a stable footprint with as little cut and fill as possible. Confirm your zone before applying that control.
Foreshore and boatsheds
The water here carries a W1 zoning for natural waterways. A separate DCP chapter covers foreshore stairs and inclinators, looking at how near they sit to the natural ground line and how they affect neighbours. A boatshed counts as a place to store a boat and gear, not living space. An up to date level survey should fix the building platform and, on waterfront land, the high water boundary. Historic frontage does not prove current hazard status or any private foreshore right.
Typical work
Common projects and how they get approved
What owners build here
With houses dominating, most jobs are about the home and garden. Typical work includes:
- Second-storey additions that avoid deep excavation on sloping lots.
- Knockdown rebuilds designed around the existing landform instead of a cut platform.
- Pools and safety barriers, planned together with side access and whatever usable garden space remains.
- Garages and outdoor rooms cut into the slope, often below street level.
- Foreshore stairs or boatshed alterations on genuine waterfront lots.
Granny flats or dual occupancies raise their own planning question, even on a big block with room to spare.
How approval usually works
A CDC, a fast-track approval under state rules, can suit simple house work if nothing on the maps blocks it. Steep sites, C4 land and foreshore structures usually need a DA, and a construction certificate comes after. Before lodging, confirm your zone so you know which landform controls apply. Do not copy a neighbour's floor level. If the design adds rooms that look over the lower garden, show the whole stair path to the waterline from the outset. Settle what a boatshed will be used for early, since a studio or guest room is a different use. CertifiBuild checks the slope, zone and waterway mapping on your lot first, so excavation plans do not get ahead of the rules.
Our services
From approval to sign-off.
One certifier for your whole Grays Point job, from the first plan check to the occupation certificate.
Local questions
Questions we hear about this suburb.
No two lots in Grays Point are the same. Give us your address and we will check every map that affects it.
See the council pageDoes the 1902 auction mean my Grays Point block reaches the water?
No. The February 1902 auction offered 11 waterfront blocks near where the North West Arm meets Port Hacking, but that sale is history and does not show where today’s boundaries run. Later subdivision and title changes may have altered where lots end. Get your current title and a fresh survey that marks the high water line before planning a landing, foreshore stairs or a boatshed. Historic water frontage also does not prove any private foreshore right or tell you about current hazard mapping on your Grays Point lot.
Can I dig out a flat pad for a bigger house?
It depends on your zone and site. Sutherland Shire’s development control plan (DCP) sets landform rules by zone, and where land is zoned C4 for environmental living it asks for a stable footprint with as little cut and fill as possible. Confirm your zone and get a detailed level survey before counting on a flat slab or large basement being accepted. Copying the floor height next door proves nothing. On these sloping Grays Point blocks, a house that steps down the slope usually has a smoother path than a deep excavated platform.
Should I include foreshore stairs in my first application?
Yes, show their location and extent from the start. The waters off Grays Point carry a W1 natural waterways zoning, and a separate chapter of Sutherland Shire’s development control plan (DCP) deals with foreshore stairs and inclinators, including how close they sit to natural ground, how they affect neighbours’ privacy and where the high water line falls. If new rooms look over the lower garden, leaving the stairs out can leave the link from house to waterline unresolved. Decide early what any boatshed is for as well, because boat storage and a studio are treated as different uses.
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.