Central Coast Council
Private building certifier in The Entrance
Most homes in The Entrance are units, not houses. We begin by confirming if your job is a Class 1 home, a Class 10 structure, or work within a shared building.
NSW 2261
Class 1 homes and Class 10 structures
Local rules
What shapes building work at The Entrance
A town centre with a mixed housing profile
The Entrance is a small peninsula locality of about 1.65 square kilometres. By 2021 it was home to 4,244 people, spread over 3,434 private dwellings. Apartments and flats were 52.9% of occupied homes. Townhouses, terraces and semis came to 19.2%, and stand-alone houses to just 26.2%.
Council names it among five key town centres. Beside the shops, the plaza on the waterfront and Memorial Park give the area a strong tourism role.
The peninsula chapter of the DCP
Central Coast Council's Development Control Plan (DCP) has a chapter for The Entrance Peninsula. It applies to mapped land only. It sets design tests for mixed town-centre buildings, such as active shopfronts, upper-level setbacks and sunlight to key public spaces. Start by checking if that mapped area covers your lot.
Taller neighbours do not set your limits
A tall building down the street says nothing about what your block can take. Height maps, floor space rules and site constraints are read for each parcel on its own.
Typical work
Common projects and how they get approved
What owners build here
For the houses and townhouses here, typical Class 1 and 10 jobs include:
- Upstairs or back extensions to a freestanding home. Work from your zone and lot area, not the size of nearby unit blocks.
- Granny flats on suitable residential lots. Lot width, area and services need checking first.
- Decks, carports and pools. Watch setbacks on narrow peninsula lots.
- Townhouse changes. Strata owners may need to agree before you lodge.
Apartment and shop jobs are Class 2 or commercial, and need a differently registered certifier.
How approval usually works
Minor decks and garden sheds may be exempt, provided each standard is satisfied. For a pool or a house addition, a CDC (a quick certifier approval) can work if no constraint on the lot rules it out. Otherwise you lodge a development application (DA) with council and then get a construction certificate (CC) before building.
For a townhouse, sort out owners corporation consent separately. Owners voting yes is different from planning approval, and neither one stands in for the other. Send us a survey, your title and any past approvals first. CertifiBuild looks up your address, sets out the correct approval route and remains involved until the occupation certificate.
Our services
From approval to sign-off.
One certifier for your whole The Entrance job, from the first plan check to the occupation certificate.
Local questions
Questions we hear about this suburb.
No two lots in The Entrance are the same. Give us your address and we will check every map that affects it.
See the council pageCan CertifiBuild certify work inside my apartment at The Entrance?
No. Apartments at The Entrance are in Class 2 buildings, and CertifiBuild is registered for Class 1 homes and Class 10 structures only. If unit work touches waterproofing, structural parts, fire walls or shared common property, it needs a certifier with Class 2 registration. Strata consent from the owners corporation is needed too, and it sits apart from planning and building sign-off. Flats made up 52.9% of occupied homes here in 2021, so this question comes up often. If you own a freestanding house or a Class 1 townhouse, that work does fall within our scope.
Does the peninsula DCP chapter cover all houses in The Entrance?
No, only lots inside its mapped boundary. Central Coast Council’s development control plan (DCP) includes a peninsula chapter that reaches mapped sites, mostly in and around the town centre beside Memorial Park and the waterfront plaza. Its tests are aimed at mixed town-centre buildings: active shopfronts, upper-level setbacks and sunlight to key public spaces. Houses beyond that boundary follow the general residential controls. Check your lot on the council maps before design starts, and keep in mind that a taller neighbour says nothing about the limits on your block.
My townhouse is Class 1. Can I extend it under a CDC?
Possibly, if the townhouse is Class 1 and nothing on the lot rules out a complying development certificate (CDC). Many townhouses are Class 1, which puts them within a house certifier’s scope. Whether a CDC fits still depends on zoning, lot features and any mapped constraint. If not, you lodge a development application (DA) with council and then obtain a construction certificate (CC). Where the townhouse is strata titled, the owners corporation will usually need to agree before you lodge, and that vote does not replace planning approval. Start with a survey, title and past approvals.
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.