Hornsby Shire Council
Private building certifier in Wahroonga
Hornsby’s part of Wahroonga holds two heritage conservation areas. We start by asking if your lot falls in one, as that affects the design and how it gets approved.
NSW 2076
Class 1 homes and Class 10 structures
Local rules
Heritage and Zoning on Wahroonga's Hornsby Side
Two councils share the suburb
Ku-ring-gai Council looks after the larger share of Wahroonga. Hornsby Shire covers a smaller pocket on the western side, beyond the highway and freeway. That pocket reaches Hinemoa Avenue and Coups Creek in the south, with Waitara, the rail line and Edwards Road along its western edge. Council puts its 2023 population at 5,013. Your address decides which council's plan applies.
Homes and zoning
Census data covers both sides. In 2021 the suburb counted 6,300 private dwellings, and about three in four were separate houses. More than half, 54.6%, had at least four bedrooms, so plenty of homes are big already. On the Hornsby side, townhouse and apartment work is rare. Hornsby's 2013 LEP applies on this side. Sampled residential lots carry Zone R2 Low Density Residential. Any new lot needs 500 square metres or more. Buildings may rise no higher than 8.5 metres.
Two conservation areas
Two heritage conservation areas, Wahroonga and Wahroonga (North), both lie within Hornsby's side. Its DCP has a separate character statement for each. Individually listed items add another layer.
Typical work
Common projects and how they get approved
What owners build here
Projects depend on which side of a heritage boundary you are on.
- Beyond the heritage areas. Rear additions, pools and freestanding garages are common. So are carports, plus granny flats where the block is deep. Some owners knock down and rebuild where the house has no heritage value.
- Within a conservation area. Single-storey rear additions, rooms built into the existing roof, verandah and fence restoration, and garages placed behind the house.
Forward garages and street-facing upper floors are uncommon in these areas.
How approval usually works
The state Housing Code lets through only limited kinds of complying development where a conservation area applies. That includes swimming pools and some detached structures, though not a detached studio. Some alterations can still use a separate code, provided they leave the street-facing wall alone and add no height. Most additions there need a DA to Hornsby Shire Council, then a CC. Outside the conservation areas, a CDC, a quick certifier-issued approval, is often possible.
Under Hornsby's heritage rules, garages and carports must sit back behind the building line. New upstairs space should usually fit inside the roof, using dormer windows at the side or back. An approval granted east of the highway, on Ku-ring-gai land, may not transfer, so treat it with care. Send your planning certificate, photos and a survey. CertifiBuild can check your heritage status early and help shape a design that suits the street.
Our services
From approval to sign-off.
One certifier for your whole Wahroonga job, from the first plan check to the occupation certificate.
Local questions
Questions we hear about this suburb.
No two lots in Wahroonga are the same. Give us your address and we will check every map that affects it.
See the council pageWhich Wahroonga homes are covered by Hornsby Shire?
Hornsby Shire covers a smaller pocket on Wahroonga’s western side, past the highway and freeway. It runs south to Hinemoa Avenue and Coups Creek, with Waitara, the rail line and Edwards Road along its western edge, and council puts its 2023 population at 5,013. The rest of Wahroonga belongs to Ku-ring-gai Council. A planning certificate settles which council applies. It matters, because Hornsby’s local environmental plan (LEP) governs that side, with sampled R2 lots needing 500 square metres for a new lot, buildings capped at 8.5 metres, and their own heritage maps.
Can a pool go ahead without a DA in a Wahroonga conservation area?
Often, yes. The state Housing Code still allows swimming pools as complying development inside a heritage conservation area, so a pool inside either of Hornsby’s two Wahroonga heritage areas may not need a development application (DA). Code rules on boundary distances, safety fencing and the site still apply. If the property is individually heritage listed, the limits are tighter and a DA becomes more likely. Your planning certificate shows which applies. Where the code is met, a complying development certificate (CDC) issued by a certifier is the usual route.
How can I gain upstairs space in a Wahroonga heritage home?
In its heritage areas, Hornsby prefers new upper rooms built within the existing roof, lit by dormer windows on the side or back. Adding a whole extra level that shows from the street is hard to justify here. It generally needs a development application (DA), judged against the character statement Hornsby’s development control plan (DCP) gives each area. Before design, get a survey and check whether the existing roof pitch offers enough headroom for usable rooms. Bear in mind an approval from east of the highway, on Ku-ring-gai land, won’t carry over to a Hornsby lot.
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.