Bayside and Georges River councils
Private building certifier in Sans Souci
Sans Souci is split roughly in half, with Bayside to the east and Georges River to the west. Any project here begins with a private certifier fixing your lot’s position in relation to that line.
NSW 2219
Class 1 homes and Class 10 structures
Local rules
Between Botany Bay and Kogarah Bay
Houses, villas and flats
In 2021, 10,864 people were counted in the Sans Souci locality, living in 4,629 private dwellings. Flats were 20.4% of occupied homes, semis, villas and townhouses 30.1%, and separate houses 48.6%. Those numbers cover both council areas together. Apartment blocks are Class 2 buildings, so they fall outside the Class 1 and Class 10 work CertifiBuild certifies.
The Bayside side
East of Rocky Point Road, the Bayside Local Environmental Plan 2021 applies. Council has studied a drainage catchment running to Botany Bay, with Ramsgate Road as its northern edge and a link to the upper part of Scarborough Ponds. In 2023 council adopted a newer west-side flood risk management study that replaced older findings. Note that the catchment is a drainage study area, so its edges do not follow the suburb or council line. Rely on current flood information, not old reports.
The Georges River side
West of the road, the Georges River Local Environmental Plan 2021 applies. Ground here is low and falls gently towards Kogarah Bay on a mostly regular street grid. Post-war homes and newer rebuilds mix with villas and townhouses. Some waterfront blocks have been divided, with one lot behind another. The council's development control plan (DCP) also protects public views to the bay, naming Vista Street.
Typical work
Common projects and how they get approved
What owners build here
- Living area additions and garage changes. Put current and planned ground levels on one plan, along with stormwater, retaining walls and paving.
- Pools. Settle levels, the stormwater outlet and the safety barrier before ordering a shell. On mapped foreshore land, visible pool edges have design controls.
- Villa and townhouse work. Courtyard roofs and drainage changes may touch common property or an approved parking and landscape layout, so check the title first.
- Granny flats. These depend on the legal lot, especially where a waterfront block has already been split.
How approval usually works
Small exempt works need no approval. On larger jobs, a complying development certificate (CDC) is a quicker approval a certifier grants once every code standard is satisfied. Otherwise a development application (DA) goes to the right council first, then a construction certificate follows.
Flood controls, levels and waterfront rules often decide the path here. Order a survey tied to the right datum, plus current council flood advice, before floor heights are fixed. Using a common path down to the shore does not mean you own water frontage.
Send the survey, title details and a concept layout first. CertifiBuild will check the right council's maps and set out the approval path in plain terms.
Our services
From approval to sign-off.
One certifier for your whole Sans Souci job, from the first plan check to the occupation certificate.
Local questions
Questions we hear about this suburb.
No two lots in Sans Souci are the same. Give us your address and we will check every map that affects it.
See the council pageWhich council handles my Sans Souci project?
Rocky Point Road is the rough dividing line. Land to the east is generally Bayside, under the Bayside Local Environmental Plan 2021, and land to the west is generally Georges River, under the Georges River Local Environmental Plan 2021. Sans Souci is split roughly in half. The two councils keep separate design rules and flood information, so an approval next door may not tell you much if it sits on the other side. Confirm your lot on current boundary maps before starting design.
Will an older flood report do for a side extension on the Bayside part?
Only as background. Bayside adopted a newer west-side flood risk management study in 2023, and it replaced earlier findings for the catchment draining from Rocky Point Road to Botany Bay. That catchment follows drainage, not the suburb or council line. Before you set the new floor level or plan site drainage for a side extension, get current flood advice for your property from council and a survey tied to the right datum. Using up-to-date levels from the start avoids redesign later.
Could I roof over my Sans Souci villa’s courtyard?
Possibly, but check before you treat it as a simple garden job. About 30% of Sans Souci’s occupied homes in 2021 were semis, villas or townhouses, and in these groups a courtyard is often part of an approved layout shared by several homes. A new roof can touch shared land, shared drainage, parking spaces and neighbours’ daylight. Read your title, any strata documents and the group’s first approval. Strata consent and planning approval are separate, and you may need both before work starts.
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.