Wollondilly Shire Council
Private building certifier in The Oaks
In The Oaks, CertifiBuild certifies new homes, extensions, granny flats, garages and pools. Owners near Montpelier Drive often find their lot carries its own DCP section, which needs checking before design.
NSW 2570
Class 1 homes and Class 10 structures
Local rules
The Oaks: village core, rural holdings, special lots
A service town for the district
The Oaks has a small, walkable centre with mixed shopfronts that serve the surrounding rural area. Local history records an earlier name, Vanderville, from its days as a private village. That story colours the main street but does not put every house on the heritage list. Detached homes are the norm. The 2021 Census counted 1,019 private dwellings. Freestanding homes were 96.6% of the occupied ones.
Montpelier Drive land
The Wollondilly DCP (council's detailed design rules) has a section written for identified residential land at Montpelier Drive. It deals with noise, mature trees, the historic setting and the buffer to nearby rural land. It only applies to lots on its list, so match your lot before using its numbers.
Village versus rural land
Beyond the centre are rural holdings. On land the Metropolitan Rural Area mapping takes in, the DCP adds controls about village character, farm land and the scenic setting. In town, an extension is judged against its street. Out on a rural block, a new home needs a much wider site response.
Typical work
Common projects and how they get approved
What owners build here
Most work in The Oaks involves detached homes, whether in the village streets or out on larger rural holdings. Projects we commonly see:
- Extensions that suit the existing house and respect the nearby village streetscape.
- Freshly built homes on release lots, positioned around subdivision conditions and trees that must stay.
- Garages designed with the dwelling, as a large shed can easily dominate a small residential lot.
- Pools and alfresco roofs that keep the approved drainage, parking and access intact.
- Granny flats, assessed under residential or rural provisions depending on the zone.
How approval usually works
A CDC (complying development, the faster state code path) is possible for some houses, pools and outbuildings here when the site and plans satisfy each standard. Lots with special DCP sections, rural zoning or retained trees often end up needing a development application (DA) instead. Before lodging, check whether the Montpelier Drive section applies to your lot. On a lot in a newer release, obtain the subdivision conditions. Check the heritage map instead of presuming the village's history extends to your home. Make sure a new pool or shed does not crowd out trees, parking or the yard that an earlier approval set aside. If you need a DA, finalise layout changes ahead of the construction certificate. CertifiBuild works through these lot specific controls early, so you are not redesigning halfway through.
Our services
From approval to sign-off.
One certifier for your whole The Oaks job, from the first plan check to the occupation certificate.
Local questions
Questions we hear about this suburb.
No two lots in The Oaks are the same. Give us your address and we will check every map that affects it.
See the council pageAre all the old houses in The Oaks heritage listed?
No. The village story, including its earlier name, Vanderville, from its private village days, explains the character of the main street, but it does not put every house in The Oaks on the heritage list. Listing is decided property by property. Search your address on today’s heritage map, or read your planning certificate. If your home is listed, the outside changes you plan, such as a new roofline or a front addition, will be weighed for their effect on it. If it isn’t, the usual residential or rural controls for your zone apply.
Does the Montpelier Drive DCP section cover my whole street?
No, only the lots named in its application list. The Montpelier Drive section of the Wollondilly development control plan (DCP) covers a defined list of residential lots, and a shared street name is not enough. For lots on the list, it sets requirements on noise, mature trees, the historic setting and the buffer between homes and nearby farm land. Lots outside the list follow the general residential or rural DCP provisions instead. Match your lot against the list before borrowing any numbers from that section, and pull the subdivision conditions if your lot is part of a newer release.
Are granny flat rules the same in town and on rural land?
No. Wollondilly’s development control plan (DCP) handles granny flats on farmland, environmental land and big lots differently from those in the village’s residential zones. Out on a rural block the design usually needs a wider site response, including how water and waste will be managed, while a village lot is judged more against its street. Start by confirming your zone, that the main house is lawful, and what servicing the block has. In 2021, 96.6% of the occupied homes counted in The Oaks were freestanding, so many lots have room, but the zone sets the rules.
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.