Blacktown City Council
Private building certifier in Riverstone
Riverstone mixes an old railway town, land in growth precincts and a newly rezoned town centre. Before any house or shed is designed, a certifier needs to know which set of rules covers your lot.
NSW 2765
Class 1 homes and Class 10 structures
Local rules
Riverstone planning: town, precinct or centre?
Mostly detached homes
Its name comes from the old Riverston estate. In 2021, 8,627 people were counted here, in 3,077 private dwellings. Detached houses formed about 94.5% of occupied homes, townhouses and semis 3.9%, and apartments a mere 1.0%. That figure is a snapshot of 2021 housing, not a guide to what a lot can hold in future.
Three planning settings
Established streets follow Blacktown's 2015 local plan, the council's main zoning plan, along with its 2015 DCP. Land in the Riverstone Precinct falls under the Growth Centre Precincts DCP, in its Schedule 2. Some Scheduled Lands in the Marsden Park North and West Schofields precincts have not yet been rezoned. Those parcels keep a rural zoning, with Part B of the council's DCP applying.
The town centre and flooding
An earlier plan for the town centre was dropped in 2023. A revised rezoning was then finalised by the Department of Planning in April 2026. Near the centre, rely on current maps rather than old news reports. No single flood label covers the suburb. The controls turn on each site and the work planned for it.
Typical work
Common projects and how they get approved
What owners build here
Most jobs here involve the existing housing stock. Common requests include:
- Additions and alterations. Extra bedrooms, a second living area or a rear extension. First we place the lot: established town, growth precinct, or inside the new centre boundary.
- Garage conversions and new garages. Check setbacks, driveway access and how stormwater will leave the site.
- Knockdown and rebuild. A replacement home must suit the current zoning and any flood requirements for that address.
- Houses on Scheduled Lands. Old titles here often lack proper road access or services. Lots may need to be joined before a home can go ahead, so land issues come before house plans.
Retail and commercial fitouts at the centre sit outside Class 1 and 10. A certifier with other registration must handle them.
How approval usually works
Small sheds, pergolas and fences may be exempt when they comply with each standard. Larger work takes one of two paths. A CDC, the quicker certifier-issued approval, suits lots that satisfy every state code requirement. Otherwise you need a development application to Blacktown City Council, then a construction certificate before building starts. A CDC may be blocked by flood mapping or by Scheduled Lands issues. Send us your address, a survey and any council planning certificate first. CertifiBuild then sorts out the right path and stays with you through each inspection.
Our services
From approval to sign-off.
One certifier for your whole Riverstone job, from the first plan check to the occupation certificate.
Local questions
Questions we hear about this suburb.
No two lots in Riverstone are the same. Give us your address and we will check every map that affects it.
See the council pageDoes a separate title on Riverstone Scheduled Lands mean I can build?
Not by itself. For land in the Riverstone Precinct, the Growth Centre Precincts development control plan, through Schedule 2, makes new homes on the Scheduled Lands depend on joining lots, having road access and being serviced. Old titles there often lack a formed road or connections. On Scheduled Lands in West Schofields or Marsden Park North that are still unrezoned, a rural zoning applies under Blacktown’s 2015 local environmental plan, with Part B of council’s own design rules. Confirm which mapping covers your title and how access and services would reach it before paying for house plans.
Is the rezoning of Riverstone’s town centre still going ahead?
Yes, it has gone ahead and is now final. The first plan for the centre was abandoned in 2023, and a revised version was finalised by the state planning department in April 2026. Those changes cover only the mapped town centre. Houses in the older streets or on growth precinct land remain under their existing local or precinct controls. News stories about the 2023 decision no longer describe the position, so check current maps for your address. If your lot is near the centre boundary, a planning certificate will show which controls apply.
Is all of Riverstone flood prone?
No, Riverstone carries no single flood label. Some land is affected and much is not, and the controls depend on where your lot sits and what you plan to build. A rear extension, a replacement home and a garage can each be treated differently on the same site. Ask Blacktown City Council for a planning certificate and any flood information for the address before design starts. Flood mapping may also block a complying development certificate (CDC), sending the job to a development application (DA) instead.
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.