City of Canada Bay
Private building certifier in Rhodes
Rhodes is almost all apartments, but it still has a handful of houses and townhouses. If you own one, we can help you find the right precinct rules and certify your project.
NSW 2138
Class 1 homes and Class 10 structures
Local rules
Rhodes: a few houses among the towers
A very high density suburb
In 2021, 11,453 people lived in Rhodes, spread across 5,871 private dwellings. People lived in a flat or apartment in 95.1% of occupied homes. Only 3.2% were houses on their own, with semis and townhouses at 1.5%. So every Class 1 project here is a bit unusual. Houses and townhouses are often part of a bigger approved development that shares driveways, services or landscaping.
East and West precincts
Council's development control plan (DCP) splits Rhodes into two parts. One chapter covers Rhodes East. It also points to a separate public domain plan and a street design guide. Another chapter covers the western precinct along Homebush Bay. Every chapter covers its own mapped land only, so do not combine them. Using the wrong one can mean the design is checked against the wrong setbacks or public space plan. Zoning across both comes from the Canada Bay Local Environmental Plan 2013.
Public foreshore and parks
For the western side, the chapter envisages a dense blend of homes and businesses beside the bay. It aims to keep an unbroken public walk along the water, plus links to parks and paths for bikes and pedestrians. A fence or stair along a boundary can affect those public spaces even if the job adds no new room. That is why the approved plans matter so much here.
Typical work
Common projects and how they get approved
What owners build here
For the small group of Class 1 homes in Rhodes, typical jobs are:
- Bathroom and laundry upgrades. Understand how the current waterproofing and drainage work before you move fixtures.
- Internal layout changes. Removing or opening a wall may affect structure shared with the next townhouse.
- Facade and external changes. New windows or enclosures can alter the approved look of the building.
- Fences, decks and pergolas. Near the foreshore, show the public edge on your drawings so the boundary is clear.
Apartment and shop work is outside Class 1 and 10. That work belongs with a certifier holding registration in the matching class.
How approval usually works
Certain minor works need no approval if they satisfy every standard. Bigger jobs need either a CDC, issued by a certifier against a State code, or else a DA (development application) lodged with council, with a CC to follow. Within a planned estate, altering an approved building often calls for a DA or a modification. Strata or community scheme consent is a separate step from planning approval. You may need both before work can start, so it pays to ask early. Start by finding the original approval, your title and any by-laws, then send them to us. We will look at the precinct rules for your lot and explain each step in plain terms.
Our services
From approval to sign-off.
One certifier for your whole Rhodes job, from the first plan check to the occupation certificate.
Local questions
Questions we hear about this suburb.
No two lots in Rhodes are the same. Give us your address and we will check every map that affects it.
See the council pageWhich precinct rules apply to my Rhodes townhouse?
It comes down to which half of Rhodes holds your lot. Canada Bay’s development control plan (DCP) has one chapter for Rhodes East, supported by its own public domain plan and a guide to street design, and another for the western precinct along Homebush Bay. Each covers only its own mapped land, so never blend the two. Zoning for both comes from the Canada Bay Local Environmental Plan 2013. Check the precinct maps for your address, then read that chapter together with the original consent for your townhouse development.
Could my deck extend toward the Homebush Bay foreshore path?
Not without checking where your land ends and public space begins. The western Rhodes chapter aims to keep an unbroken public walk beside Homebush Bay, joined to parks and to walking and cycling paths. A deck, stair or fence on that edge can affect those spaces despite adding no floor space. Plot the proposed deck against your title boundary, the approved plans for your development and any shared landscaping. If the deck would push toward the path, expect closer scrutiny and possibly a development application (DA).
Does a redevelopment diagram allow me to enclose my balcony?
No, a precinct diagram is a picture of planned urban form, not an approval for your home. Enclosing a balcony changes the approved external look of the building and can affect shared structure, drainage and neighbours. For a Rhodes townhouse inside a larger approved development, that often means a development application (DA) or a modification of the original consent, plus strata or community scheme consent as a separate step. Gather the first consent, the title and the scheme’s by-laws early. Apartment balconies sit in Class 2 buildings, outside our Class 1 and 10 scope.
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.