Penrith City Council
Private building certifier in North St Marys
North St Marys began as housing for munitions workers in the 1940s. We help owners renovate, extend or replace these older homes, explain the approval route and certify the build.
NSW 2760
Class 1 homes and Class 10 structures
Local rules
Wartime cottages and later homes
A suburb with a wartime start
According to council's local history, 33 cottages went up in 1942 for munitions factory staff. The Housing Commission added more homes during the 1950s. Those facts explain how the area began. Those facts will not date any single house or confirm its status, since many homes have changed or been rebuilt.
Almost all detached houses
In 2021, 4,123 people were counted here, living in 1,547 private homes. Stand-alone houses were 96.6% of occupied homes. Attached homes were 1.7% and flats 0.9%.
A recognised townscape
Penrith's DCP for residential areas lists two local areas among its significant townscapes: the northern post-war subdivision and the Permanent Cottage Area. It asks owners to keep an existing cottage where possible and to design changes that suit its character. Width, height, roof form, garage visibility and significant trees all matter.
Townscape is not heritage listing
That DCP recognition is separate from heritage listing under the Penrith Local Environmental Plan 2010. Look up your lot in the LEP's heritage map and its schedule. The town centre chapter written for St Marys covers only its mapped area, not these residential streets.
Typical work
Common projects and how they get approved
What owners build here
Class 1 and 10 projects common in North St Marys:
- Rear additions. Keeping the front cottage and adding rooms behind it often suits the townscape better than a broad side wing.
- Verandah repairs and rebuilds. Match the original roof line and proportions where the townscape section applies.
- Replacement garages. Council wants garages tucked away and visible driveways kept small, so avoid a wide garage across the front.
- Granny flats and garage conversions. Work out rear access and the backyard around the cottage you are keeping. A conversion can change how the lot looks from the street, so treat it as more than a fitout.
- Internal renovations. Check the existing frame and any past additions before you remove walls. Older homes can hide termite damage or undersized beams that change the scope.
How approval usually works
Small jobs that satisfy every listed standard can be exempt. Others need either a CDC, which a certifier issues quickly when a State code is met, or a development application (DA) to council and then a CC. A heritage listing on your lot can limit CDC options, depending on the exact work. Wartime history alone does not grant demolition rights or rule out every CDC. Begin with a planning certificate, photos of the front and any old plans. From there, CertifiBuild can talk you through the likely route and inspect each required stage.
Our services
From approval to sign-off.
One certifier for your whole North St Marys job, from the first plan check to the occupation certificate.
Local questions
Questions we hear about this suburb.
No two lots in North St Marys are the same. Give us your address and we will check every map that affects it.
See the council pageDoes my old North St Marys cottage have a heritage listing?
Not necessarily. The cottages built for munitions workers in 1942 and the later Housing Commission homes explain how the suburb began, but history alone does not make any house a listed item. Penrith’s development control plan (DCP) recognises two local townscapes, and that recognition differs from formal heritage listing. Search for your lot on the heritage map, and in the schedule, of the Penrith Local Environmental Plan 2010. Treat the townscape character controls as a second, separate question when you plan changes.
How can I add space to an original cottage most simply?
Adding rooms behind the existing cottage is often the simplest fit, because the development control plan (DCP) asks owners to keep cottages where possible and design changes that suit their character. A rear addition usually sits better than a broad side wing. Whether it works still depends on block size, the bulk of the new rooms, the backyard left over and other controls. Check the existing frame and any earlier additions first, since older homes can hide termite damage or undersized beams.
Can my North St Marys house have a double garage at the front?
It may be hard. The townscape section of the development control plan (DCP) asks for garages to be tucked out of sight and visible driveways kept small, and it also looks at building width, height and the roof. A broad double garage spanning a cottage frontage can clash with every one of those aims. Consider the garage, the house and the front garden together before fixing size or position. A single garage set back beside the house, or a structure at the rear, may suit better.
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.