Located in Rydalmere within the City of Parramatta LGA, this new dwelling house is situated on a moderately sloping lot within an established residential neighbourhood. The design incorporates a split-level layout, with a lower ground level at the rear and an upper floor toward the street. This configuration raised key interpretive considerations under the Housing Code, where slope can affect how storeys are defined and counted.
While the dwelling featured three distinct levels, the architectural form, building siting, and slope of the site meant it did not meet the definition of a three-storey building under the Codes SEPP. Ensuring that the proposal remained compliant with the storey limits applicable to CDC required a precise interpretation of the code’s definitions. Without clear justification, the risk of misclassification could have made the proposal ineligible for the CDC pathway.
Our Approach
Plan for Tomorrow provided CDC services with a detailed focus on interpreting storey definitions in the context of slope and architectural form under the State Environmental Planning Policy (Exempt and Complying Development Codes) 2008. Although all three levels were habitable, the proposal was designed to avoid being classified as a three-storey building through careful manipulation of building height, cut and fill, and the visual relationship to natural ground. The planning report provided detailed site sections, building elevations, and code-based reasoning to demonstrate how the design met CDC eligibility requirements despite its vertical complexity.
The Outcome
The Complying Development Certificate was issued, confirming that the proposal satisfied all relevant CDC criteria. The planning strategy enabled a site-responsive, multi-level design to proceed through a streamlined approval process. This outcome illustrates how accurate interpretation of SEPP definitions and informed design coordination can resolve complex planning issues at the certification stage.
