A Development Control Plan (DCP) provides detailed planning controls for new development in the Council area.

DCPs are made under the provisions of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (the Act) and supplement the provisions in Council’s Local Environmental Plans (LEPs), namely the Manly Local Environmental Plan 2013, Warringah Local Environmental Plan 2011, and Pittwater Local Environmental Plan 2014. The DCPs apply to proposed developments which require a development application under the Act.

Currently, the Northern Beaches has separate DCPs for the former Manly, Warringah, and Pittwater areas.

The DCPs proposed for amendment are:

• Manly DCP 2013
• Warringah DCP 2011
• Pittwater 21 DCP

A Local Environmental Plan (LEP) is a legal document that sets out zoning and land use controls, determining how land can be used (e.g. for housing, industry, or recreation), what types of development are permitted, and development standards such as maximum building heights. It is the primary planning tool for guiding appropriate local development.

A DCP works within the framework of the LEP and provides more detailed guidance, including requirements for building design, landscaping, setbacks, and other site-specific matters.

Council made these amendments in response to the NSW Government’s recently legislated reforms, known as the Low and Mid-Rise Housing Reforms, on 28 February 2025, under Chapter 6 of the State Environmental Planning Policy (Housing) 2021.

These State reforms override several existing LEP standards (such as building height and floor space ratio) and allow for higher, larger, and denser forms of development in residential zones within 800 metres of nine (9) town centres on the Northern Beaches.

Council’s existing DCPs do not address medium-density housing types in the R2 Low Density Residential zone or large (potentially 6-8 storey) apartment buildings in R3 Medium Density Residential zones.

The DCP changes were made to ensure that new medium and higher density residential development permitted under the State Policy is subject to the same DCP rules as other similar development on the Northern Beaches, incorporating best practice controls to meet reasonable community expectations.

The changes will create specific controls for development in residential zones affected by the Low and Mid-Rise Housing Reforms, which mirror controls for these forms of development in other parts of the Council area. The controls introduce requirements where gaps existed, retain existing controls where they delivered better planning outcomes, and harmonise content where consistency across the three DCPs (Manly, Warringah, and Pittwater) was possible.

For example, the proposed amendments for dual occupancy development require appropriate minimum levels of tree cover and deep soil landscaped areas, as well as shared driveway crossings to reduce loss of on-street parking and street trees. The changes also discourage poor designs, such as those that lead to boundary-to-boundary double garages or involve excessive excavation.

For multi-dwelling housing and residential flat buildings within 800 metres of identified town centres, the changes require wider side setbacks than those for typical houses and propose a limit of two storeys in the R2 Low Density Residential zones.

There are also amendments that aim to ensure good internal amenity (such as solar access, ventilation, and privacy) and promote family-friendly residential flat buildings with communal outdoor spaces for play, as well as the inclusion of electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

Developments already permitted under Council’s LEPs in residential zones are unaffected by the DCP amendments (for example, planning requirements for dwelling houses and secondary dwellings remain unchanged).

The amendments won’t change what is permitted under the ‘Low and Mid Rise Housing Reforms’, but they will provide more detailed design guidance, including requirements for landscaping, tree planting, setbacks, and parking, to help ensure new development integrates with the surrounding built form and natural environment of the Northern Beaches.

The changes apply to low and mid-rise housing types such as dual occupancies in R2 zones, as well as townhouses, terraces, and residential flat buildings within 800 metres of the 9 identified town centres.

NSW planning legislation relating to Development Control Plans (DCPs) is set out in Part 3, Division 3.6 and Schedule 1, Part 1, Clause 5 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979. The proposed changes to DCPs are publicly exhibited for a minimum of 28 days in accordance with Schedule 1, Part 1, Clause 5 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979.

Part 2, Division 2 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation 2021 also sets out the administrative procedures that councils must follow in relation to the preparation and exhibition of draft Development Control Plans.

Council supports sustainable housing growth and, as a result, has raised concerns about the lack of affordable housing provision and infrastructure planning that has accompanied the new State housing reforms.

At the Council meeting on 18 March 2025, Council resolved to call on the NSW Government for improved public transport and infrastructure to support increased housing growth.

Council wrote to the NSW Premier, Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, and Minister for Transport, urging immediate investment to address the critically underperforming Northern Beaches public transport network and the broader infrastructure needs arising from the expected population growth under the Low and Mid-Rise Housing Reforms.

Council has also commenced work on a study to determine whether additional affordable housing contributions and infrastructure contributions should apply to development in the new Low and Mid-Rise Housing areas identified by the State Government. It is anticipated that the outcomes of this work are expected to be reported to Council later this year.