Penrith City Council
Private building certifier in Orchard Hills
Orchard Hills mixes rolling rural lots, a newer northern housing precinct and a proposed station area. We help owners work out which rules apply today and certify their building work.
NSW 2748
Class 1 homes and Class 10 structures
Local rules
Rural land, new estates and a station plan
Mostly detached homes
Census data from 2021 shows 1,798 residents and 603 private dwellings. Among occupied homes the split was 96.8% separate houses, 2.2% attached and 1.1% flats. Small counts are adjusted for privacy, so totals may not equal 100%.
Rural living land
Penrith's development control plan (DCP) has a design chapter for rural Orchard Hills, which reflects its orchard history. It favours building mid-slope, keeping rooflines off ridges, limiting excavation and lining long walls up with the contours. Because of this, a small shed might end up somewhere other than your first choice. Show it on the survey with every existing building so its effect on the whole site is clear.
Orchard Hills North
The northern housing precinct has its own adopted DCP chapter. It covers private open space, sunlight, shared driveways, turning areas and planting beside driveways. Another chapter applies only to a single site called The Knoll on Caddens Road.
The station area proposal
In 2026 the State put a revised first stage rezoning for the metro station area on public display. It is still a proposal and does not yet change any control. Until it is finalised, current maps under the Penrith Local Environmental Plan 2010 apply. Each parcel is checked for flooding, bushfire, biodiversity and heritage.
Typical work
Common projects and how they get approved
What owners build here
Class 1 and 10 projects common in Orchard Hills:
- Rural sheds and garages. Cluster them near the home and garden plantings, and keep them off ridges. Driveway access and wastewater areas may constrain placement as much as the shed's size.
- House extensions. Where rural land slopes, step the floor levels and minimise cut and fill.
- Alfresco roofs and studios in the northern precinct. Check them against the original house design, the yard and any driveway you share.
- Pools. Plan barriers, drainage and setbacks on the survey.
Higher density homes near the station are a future idea only, and the existing housing is overwhelmingly detached. Today they are neither existing homes nor something you have a right to build.
How approval usually works
Minor structures can be exempt, provided they satisfy each standard. Bigger work needs either a CDC, which a certifier issues against a State code, or a development application (DA) lodged with council and then a construction certificate. Bushfire, flood or rural siting controls can make a DA the more practical choice. Begin with a planning certificate, a contour survey and, in the north, the approved estate plans. If the lot is rural, show where the effluent system sits. From there we line the project up with the correct controls and remain involved through the inspections.
Our services
From approval to sign-off.
One certifier for your whole Orchard Hills job, from the first plan check to the occupation certificate.
Local questions
Questions we hear about this suburb.
No two lots in Orchard Hills are the same. Give us your address and we will check every map that affects it.
See the council pageIs the land near the new metro station already rezoned?
Not yet. In 2026 the State put a revised first stage rezoning for the metro station area on public display, but displaying a proposal does not change any control. Until the proposal is finalised, today’s maps under the Penrith Local Environmental Plan 2010 still apply. Rely on those, or on a formal notice that the rezoning has been made, before any design depends on new zoning. The northern housing precinct is a separate area with its own adopted rules.
Do the northern precinct rules apply to my rural block?
Only for land within the precinct’s mapped edge. The newer northern housing area has a development control plan (DCP) chapter of its own, while rural Orchard Hills has a separate chapter that favours mid-slope buildings, rooflines kept off ridges and limited excavation. The two cover very different settings. Locate your block on up to date maps before picking setback, access or landscape rules. A rural lot should not borrow standards written for the estate.
In the northern estate, can my new alfresco extend toward our common driveway?
Possibly, but check before you design. The northern precinct rules cover private open space, shared driveways, turning areas and planting beside driveways, so the space next to a common driveway may already have a job to do. Look at your title and the site plan approved for the original house. Then make sure the alfresco still leaves your own home with a decent yard and good sun. A survey showing the driveway and neighbours helps.
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.