Strathfield Council
Private building certifier in Strathfield South
CertifiBuild certifies extensions, second storeys, rebuilds, granny flats and pools in Strathfield South. The first thing owners meet is council’s new residential plan, which changed landscaping and setback rules in September 2026.
NSW 2136
Class 1 homes and Class 10 structures
Local rules
Houses beside industry in Strathfield South
An industrial suburb with a house core
Strathfield South spans about 308 hectares, nearly all inside Strathfield Council. Around 43% carries a general industrial zoning, a share far beyond any other suburb council looks after. Roughly 25% is low density residential. Infrastructure takes 14%, public recreation 9% and medium density 5%. Still, the typical home is a freestanding house. Semis and terraces are also a bigger part of the mix than elsewhere under this council.
Heights, ratios and lots
Buildings may reach 12 metres on some 38% of the land, and 9.5 metres on some 23%. A floor space ratio (floor area compared with lot size) of 1:1 applies over about 38%, with 0.65:1 on part of the house land. Mapped minimum lots are either 560 or 1,000 square metres.
Heritage and no station
The suburb has fifteen listed heritage items. There is a single conservation area: interwar bungalows along Birriwa Avenue. It takes up roughly 0.3% of the land and is scheduled under the Belfield name. St Anne's, the first Catholic church here, is State significant. With no railway station, housing rules tied to stations do not reach the suburb.
Typical work
Common projects and how they get approved
What owners build here
The residential pocket keeps us busy with house work. Common jobs include:
- Ground floor additions and new upper levels on freestanding homes.
- Renovations to semis and terraces, more common here than in nearby suburbs.
- Knockdown rebuilds on older detached homes.
- Granny flats and outbuildings on the house-zoned streets.
- Pools, carports and decks, frequently approved by CDC on lots free of flood controls.
On the industrial land, warehouse fit-outs, extensions and new uses are not Class 1 or 10, so another registered certifier handles them. Our focus stays on the homes.
How approval usually works
From 1 September 2026, council's general residential design plan took over from parts of the older plan, so old figures will mislead you. A house or dual occupancy must now set aside 30% as landscaped area on lots up to 750 square metres and 35% on larger lots. Deep soil must reach 25% and 30%, in patches no narrower than 2 metres each way. The front setback now averages your own house and the two homes on each side. For low density lots, the rear setback is 20% of average site length or 10 metres, whichever is less, but never under 6 metres. Near industrial land, check contamination and acid sulfate soils before digging. A CDC (fast-track approval under state rules) may suit simpler jobs. CertifiBuild applies the current figures from the first sketch, saving a redraw.
Our services
From approval to sign-off.
One certifier for your whole Strathfield South job, from the first plan check to the occupation certificate.
Local questions
Questions we hear about this suburb.
No two lots in Strathfield South are the same. Give us your address and we will check every map that affects it.
See the council pageHow much landscaping does my Strathfield South block need now?
From 1 September 2026, under council’s new residential design plan, a house or dual occupancy must keep 30% of the site as landscaping on lots up to 750 m², rising to 35% on bigger lots. Within that, deep soil, meaning ground with no slab or structure below, must reach 25% or 30% respectively, in patches at least 2 metres wide in every direction. Figures from the older plan no longer apply. Have your designer measure these from the first sketch, because they often decide how much room is left to extend or add a pool.
How is my front setback worked out?
It is no longer a single figure. Under the new residential plan, council now averages the front setbacks of your house and the two homes on each side, five in total. That means the street itself sets your building line. So get a surveyor to measure the neighbours before any front addition or rebuild is drawn. Rear setbacks on low density lots follow a formula too: the lesser of 10 metres or a fifth of the average lot length, with 6 metres as the floor.
My Strathfield South lot backs onto industry. What changes?
Roughly 43% of Strathfield South is industrial land, so plenty of homes are near factories. If your lot adjoins industrial land, or was once part of it, possible soil contamination needs to be looked at before approval. Excavating for footings, a pool or a lower level may also bring in acid sulfate soil rules, depending on how deep you go below natural ground. Sort these out early, while plans can still change. Think about noise and loading activity next door when placing bedrooms and outdoor areas, too.
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.