Hornsby Shire Council
Private building certifier in West Pennant Hills
Where Hornsby council covers West Pennant Hills, most homes are already big. Our work usually means improving a large house within Hornsby’s setback, landscaping and heritage controls.
NSW 2125
Class 1 homes and Class 10 structures
Local rules
West Pennant Hills, Hornsby's Part
Which council are you in?
West Pennant Hills was split off from Pennant Hills and made a separate suburb in 1986. Most of it lies in a neighbouring council area. Only a narrow north-eastern strip belongs to Hornsby Shire. Which council's plan governs depends on your address. The Hornsby portion is the focus here.
Settled family homes
The census figures take in the entire suburb. The 2021 count was 5,523 private dwellings. About nine in ten were separate houses, and 76.2% had at least four bedrooms. Some 44.1% were fully paid off.
Zoning and heritage
Hornsby's 2013 LEP zones sampled land R2 Low Density Residential. There, each lot needs at least 500 square metres. Buildings can be up to 8.5 metres tall. Koala Park Sanctuary on Castle Hill Road opened in October 1930 and is listed as a heritage landscape. Several homes, gardens and lines of street trees close by also carry listings. A conservation area covering Beecroft and Cheltenham lies just east.
Typical work
Common projects and how they get approved
What owners build here
Most owners here are upgrading a large home rather than adding bedrooms.
- Extensions at the back for living rooms and alfresco areas. Opening older homes to the garden.
- Pools and barriers. Plan the pool and paving with the landscaping rules in mind.
- Double garages and carports. Front setbacks often decide placement.
- Granny flats. Where a deep block has room left behind the house.
- Knockdown rebuilds. Tested against the same rules for height, landscaping and setbacks.
How approval usually works
Small structures may be exempt. Lots of pools and extensions can use a CDC, the fast certifier approval set out in the Codes SEPP. That policy has its own setbacks. Heritage issues or non-compliance mean a DA to Hornsby Shire Council, followed by a CC.
Under the Hornsby DCP, the usual front setback is 6 metres on a local road. On a designated road it rises to 9 metres. If the current house stands 7.6 metres or further back from the front, new work may need to align with it. The landscaped area you must provide rises with lot size. It starts at 30% on mid-size lots and reaches 45% once a lot is 1,500 square metres or bigger. Paving and pools are left out of that figure. Neighbouring approvals in the other council are not a safe model. Send your survey, site plan and planning certificate first. CertifiBuild will test the whole layout against Hornsby's tables before you commit.
Our services
From approval to sign-off.
One certifier for your whole West Pennant Hills job, from the first plan check to the occupation certificate.
Local questions
Questions we hear about this suburb.
No two lots in West Pennant Hills are the same. Give us your address and we will check every map that affects it.
See the council pageWhy do my West Pennant Hills neighbour’s plans use different setbacks?
Your neighbour may be in a different council. Hornsby Shire holds only a narrow north-eastern strip of West Pennant Hills, and a neighbouring council with its own development control plan (DCP) covers the rest. Hornsby’s usual front setback is 6 metres on a local road, rising to 9 metres on a designated road. When the current house stands back at least 7.6 metres, new work may have to align with it. Check your planning certificate before copying figures from a nearby approval.
Can a new pool push my West Pennant Hills lot under its landscaping minimum?
Yes, it can. Hornsby leaves pools and hard paving out of the landscaped area calculation, and the required percentage climbs with lot size, from 30% on mid-size lots to 45% once a lot reaches 1,500 square metres. Where a big block already carries a driveway and covered outdoor area, adding a pool and surround can use up what remains. Test the whole site plan, not just the pool, before committing. If a complying development certificate (CDC) is used instead, the state code brings its own setbacks and site standards, so check both sets of numbers.
Is my home heritage listed because it is near Koala Park?
No. Koala Park Sanctuary on Castle Hill Road, open since October 1930, is a listed heritage landscape, but living close by doesn’t make your home a listed item. Some homes, gardens and rows of street trees close by are listed in their own right, so look up your parcel on the Hornsby heritage map to be sure. Beside a listed item, your plans may have to show respect for its setting. That can influence whether a complying development certificate (CDC) is realistic or a development application (DA) is the better route.
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.