Woollahra Municipal Council
Private building certifier in Point Piper
CertifiBuild certifies new houses, rebuilds, pools, boat sheds and garages on Point Piper. Point Piper has no conservation area, yet foreshore mapping touches a big share of lots and is usually the first issue.
NSW 2027
Class 1 homes and Class 10 structures
Local rules
Point Piper: harbour lots and unique floor space maps
A purely residential peninsula
The peninsula separates Rose Bay from Double Bay. Apart from roads and one thin strip of park, it is entirely residential, with about 63% R2 and 35% R3 zoning. At the 2021 Census it had 1,334 residents in 532 occupied dwellings, including 136 separate houses and 378 flats. Council's precinct chapter describes Inter-War flats in gardens on Longworth Avenue, larger postwar apartment blocks along Wolseley Road and large harbourside houses, some on battle-axe lots.
No conservation area, plenty of foreshore
Point Piper is the only residential suburb in Woollahra with no conservation area. Heritage still matters for its 33 listed items, including Dunara and Fairwater. The real constraint is the water. About 13% of the land is in surveyed foreshore bands, nearly half lies in the state's Foreshores and Waterways Area. Rocky foreshore mapping covers around 12%.
The two floor space areas
Two floor space controls added in 2026 apply only here. Area 6 sets 0.75:1 on certain R2 land. In Area 7, certain R3 land gets 0.75:1 for houses, semis and dual occupancies.
Typical work
Common projects and how they get approved
What owners build here
Large lots and harbour views shape almost every Point Piper job. Common projects:
- New houses and knockdown rebuilds on big waterfront and battle-axe sites, often reached by steep driveways.
- Waterfront pools, jetties, slipways, boat sheds and water stairs inside the foreshore bands.
- Garages, fences and front walls designed so harbour views from the street stay open, as council's chapter asks.
- Additions stepped down the slope, keeping cut and fill modest.
The flat buildings, about 71% of homes, fall under Class 2 and go to a certifier who holds that class.
How approval usually works
With no conservation area, heritage does not knock out a CDC (complying development certificate, the fast state code path) here. Foreshore mapping does. Any part of a lot inside a foreshore band is excluded from the codes, though an unaffected part of the same lot may still qualify, so the answer can change across one site. Inside the 12 metre band, approval is limited to changes to a building already there, or specific waterfront items. Before lodging, check which of the two mapped areas, 6 or 7, covers your lot, and how the sliding scale treats small lots. For a battle-axe lot, the access handle does not count toward lot area, and height is taken from the highest point outside the handle. CertifiBuild checks the foreshore survey and floor space maps for your lot before design goes far.
Our services
From approval to sign-off.
One certifier for your whole Point Piper job, from the first plan check to the occupation certificate.
Local questions
Questions we hear about this suburb.
No two lots in Point Piper are the same. Give us your address and we will check every map that affects it.
See the council pageDoes Point Piper have any heritage conservation areas?
No. Point Piper is the only residential suburb in Woollahra without a heritage conservation area. It does have 33 listed heritage items, including Dunara and Fairwater, and work on or beside one of them is assessed with heritage in mind. Without a conservation area, heritage does not knock out a complying development certificate (CDC) for most lots here. Foreshore mapping is the bigger constraint, affecting many waterfront lots, so check that first.
What do the Area 6 or 7 labels mean for my lot?
They are two floor space controls added to Woollahra’s local plan in 2026, and you will not find them anywhere else in Woollahra. Area 6 caps floor space at 0.75 times the site area on certain R2 land. Area 7 applies that same cap on certain R3 land for houses, semis and dual occupancies. A sliding scale can also change the result for smaller lots. Check which area covers your property on the floor space map before your designer starts on floor areas.
How is building height worked out on a Point Piper battle-axe lot?
Height is measured from the highest point of the site outside the access handle, the narrow driveway strip leading in from the street. That handle is also left out when the lot area is worked out, which affects both floor space and minimum lot size checks. On steep Point Piper battle-axe sites, this can change the envelope noticeably. Ask your surveyor to show the handle and the highest point clearly so the calculations start on the right footing.
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.