City of Newcastle
Private building certifier in The Junction
In The Junction, CertifiBuild certifies cottage extensions, terrace and semi upgrades, garages and pools. Owners on Glebe Road usually begin by checking the Federation cottages heritage area.
NSW 2291
Class 1 homes and Class 10 structures
Local rules
The Junction: Federation cottages and tight lots
A small, close knit suburb
The Junction is one of Newcastle's smaller suburbs, with 994 residents and 458 private dwellings at the 2021 Census. For this part of Newcastle, its housing is quite varied. Separate houses made up 53.8% of occupied dwellings, semis, terraces and townhouses 32.3%, and flats 14.2%. Many lots are narrow, so side access, shared walls and rear parking come up often.
The Glebe Road cottages
The Glebe Road Federation Cottages heritage conservation area covers the southern side of Glebe Road between Watkins Street and Union Street. It protects a row of modest single storey weatherboard cottages built around 1909 to 1915. They have open verandahs, hip, gable and pyramid roofs, consistent setbacks and side driveways running to parking at the rear. Section E2 of the Newcastle Development Control Plan 2023 asks owners to keep that single storey scale, the open front gardens and the low front fences. One of the cottages was home to a former Mayor of Merewether.
Under the ground
The Junction appears on the Newcastle Mine Subsidence District map, so check your lot before building.
Typical work
Common projects and how they get approved
What owners build here
Lots in The Junction are often narrow, so most work is about using limited space well. Typical projects:
- Rear additions to the Glebe Road cottages that keep the single storey view from the street.
- Renovations to semis and terraces, with fire separation at the shared wall planned early.
- Garages and carports at the rear, reached by a side driveway rather than across the front garden.
- Small pools and decks that fit tight backyards and still drain properly.
- Granny flats on lots with enough room behind the main house for access and open space.
How approval usually works
Outside the heritage area, a CDC (complying development certificate, the faster state code path) may suit houses and pools if lot and design comply. Inside the Glebe Road heritage area, the main housing code largely does not apply, so expect a development application (DA). Prior to lodging, find out if your lot is affected by the conservation area or the mine subsidence district. If it is in the district, Subsidence Advisory NSW needs to approve the design first. For a semi or terrace, work out what is shared with the neighbour, including the roof, party wall and drainage. Getting council's Flood Information Certificate before you lock in floor heights is sensible. CertifiBuild checks your lot's heritage and subsidence status at the start and keeps inspections in step with the builder.
Our services
From approval to sign-off.
One certifier for your whole The Junction job, from the first plan check to the occupation certificate.
Local questions
Questions we hear about this suburb.
No two lots in The Junction are the same. Give us your address and we will check every map that affects it.
See the council pageCould my Glebe Road cottage take an upstairs addition?
Probably not. The Glebe Road Federation Cottages heritage conservation area protects a row of single storey weatherboard cottages built around 1909 to 1915, and Newcastle’s development control plan (DCP) asks owners to keep that single storey scale. A ground level addition at the rear, kept out of view from the street, is the usual way to gain space. Because the main housing code largely doesn’t apply inside this area, expect a development application (DA). Find out, too, whether the Newcastle Mine Subsidence District takes in your block, since that adds a separate design approval.
Where should a garage go on a cottage in The Junction?
On Glebe Road, put it at the rear. The heritage controls for the Federation cottages expect side driveways leading to parking behind the house, with open front gardens and low front fences kept intact, so parking structures across the frontage is unlikely to suit. Elsewhere in The Junction, the general development control plan (DCP) and code rules for setbacks and garage placement apply to your lot. Many blocks here are narrow, so measure the side access early to confirm a car can actually reach the back. Check the mine subsidence map as well.
Does a semi renovation in The Junction need special checks?
Yes. A semi shares a wall with the neighbour, and often the roof and drainage too, so the design must keep fire separation and structure intact across that boundary. Plan the party wall details before layouts are fixed. In 2021, 32.3% of The Junction’s occupied homes were attached dwellings like semis and terraces, so this is a common job here. Heritage consent, and any sign-off Subsidence Advisory NSW requires, still apply alongside the building rules. Getting council’s Flood Information Certificate is also sensible before you set floor heights for an addition.
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.