Hunter's Hill Council
Private building certifier in Huntleys Cove
Half of Huntleys Cove lies within The Priory’s State heritage area, which can need a separate Heritage NSW approval. CertifiBuild certifies townhouse alterations, remediation and Class 10 work across the estate.
NSW 2111
Class 1 homes and Class 10 structures
Local rules
A townhouse estate on old Gladesville Hospital land
The modern suburb in Hunter's Hill
Huntleys Cove grew on what was Gladesville Hospital's Riverglade campus. In 1994 the state sold the site to developers. It was gazetted as Tarban in 1991 and renamed in 2002. Most homes are townhouses, with some flats and only a few separate houses. Nearly every address is on Salter Street, Fryar Place, Karrabee Avenue, Waruda Place or Mortimer Lewis Drive.
The Priory estate
The Priory on Salter Street began as a sandstone farmhouse in 1835 and now holds a State Heritage Register listing. Its registered curtilage (the protected heritage area around it) takes in roughly half of Huntleys Cove. There is no heritage conservation area here, yet nine items are listed, including the fig trees along Salter Street.
Mapping that limits CDCs
About 77% of the suburb is river front area, which excludes the Housing Code. About 21% has acid sulfate soils mapped as Class 2, more than any other Hunter's Hill suburb. Around 14% along Tarban Creek is bushfire prone. Unusually for a river suburb, the maps show no foreshore building line, which means the strict foreshore strip rules never come into play.
Typical work
Common projects and how they get approved
What owners build here
An estate of townhouses and flats built in the 1990s and the early 2000s produces renewal work rather than new houses. Owners corporations usually drive it. Typical jobs include:
- Remediation and upgrades to ageing townhouses, often run through the owners corporation.
- Internal alterations and layout changes within strata townhouses, with owners corporation sign-off.
- Waterproofing, balcony and facade repairs on townhouses exposed to the river weather.
- Retaining walls, landscaping and paths on the slope running down from Karrabee Avenue to the reserve.
Apartment blocks are Class 2, which sits outside what we certify.
How approval usually works
Start by checking if The Priory curtilage covers your lot. Work there generally needs Heritage NSW to approve it under the Heritage Act, on top of any council consent, unless one of the standard exemptions covers it. That approval is lodged on its own. Next, look at the river front, acid sulfate and bushfire maps. Between them, a CDC (fast-track approval under state rules) is rarely available, so a DA is common. On the R3 land, buildings can reach 11 metres, and floor space can reach 0.9:1, unlike most of Hunter's Hill. Landscaped area of 50%, or 60% with direct river frontage, still applies. For strata homes, get owners corporation consent early. CertifiBuild sorts out which approvals your townhouse job needs at the start and keeps the strata manager and builder in the loop.
Our services
From approval to sign-off.
One certifier for your whole Huntleys Cove job, from the first plan check to the occupation certificate.
Local questions
Questions we hear about this suburb.
No two lots in Huntleys Cove are the same. Give us your address and we will check every map that affects it.
See the council pageWill my townhouse renovation need Heritage NSW approval?
It might, depending on where your townhouse sits. The registered curtilage of The Priory, the protected area around this State Heritage Register listed farmhouse from 1835, covers roughly half of Huntleys Cove. Work inside it generally needs Heritage NSW approval, lodged separately from any council consent, unless a recognised exemption covers the work. Check your lot against the registered curtilage plan before design starts, and get owners corporation consent early so the strata manager is aligned with both approvals.
Why can buildings here be 11 metres tall?
Because the estate was planned for medium density housing when the former Gladesville Hospital land was redeveloped. The R3 zoned land in Huntleys Cove allows buildings up to 11 metres high, with floor space up to 0.9:1. Across most of Hunter’s Hill the caps are 8.5 metres for height and 0.5:1 for floor space. Landscaped area of 50%, or 60% with direct river frontage, still applies. Most work here involves existing townhouses rather than new buildings, so check your strata plan and the zoning map before planning an addition.
Is Huntleys Cove a heritage conservation area?
No, there is no heritage conservation area anywhere in Huntleys Cove. Heritage still matters, though. Nine individual items are listed, among them the fig trees along Salter Street, and The Priory has State significance with a curtilage spreading over about half the suburb. Building beside a listed item may bring a heritage assessment, and anything within The Priory curtilage can need a separate Heritage NSW approval. River front mapping, bushfire mapping and acid sulfate soil maps are more likely than heritage to rule out a complying development certificate (CDC) here.
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.