Every planning control identified for any lot | Every planning rule & overlay cross-referenced in one query | Approval likelihood scored for every control | Conflicts and overrides resolved automatically | Every answer cited to the source clause | Ask planning questions in plain English | Results in under 1 second | Every planning control identified for any lot | Every planning rule & overlay cross-referenced in one query | Approval likelihood scored for every control | Conflicts and overrides resolved automatically | Every answer cited to the source clause | Ask planning questions in plain English | Results in under 1 second |
Suburb planning guide · Updated 2026-04-27

Newtown, NSW 2042 Zoning, development potential & planning controls

Low Density Residential dominant. Median sale $1.47M over the last 24 months. 86% of decided DAs approved.

Dominant zone
R2
Low Density Residential
Median sale (24m)
$1.47M
580 sales
DA approval rate
86%
287 of 334 approved
Total lots
5,029

Newtown 2042 spans 2 councils: Inner West Council (2,882 lots), Council of the City of Sydney (2,147 lots). The dominant council (Inner West Council) sets the canonical URL for this page.

Marketplace

Need a builder, surveyor or planner near Newtown? See local experts ↓

Zoning

What you can build in Newtown

Newtown is dominated by R2Low Density Residential. Land use rules, height, FSR, and permitted developments are set per zone in the Local Environmental Plan and refined by the Development Control Plan.

R2
Dominant
R2 Low Density Residential 48.8%
R1 General Residential 36.0%
E1 Local Centre 12.3%
MU1 Mixed Use 1.7%
SP2 Infrastructure 1.2%
Avg max height
9.5 m

Limit varies by lot — check your address for the exact figure.

Avg max FSR
0.70:1

Floor Space Ratio — total floor area as a multiple of lot area.

Use mix
Residential86%
Commercial11%

Location

Where Newtown sits

Newtown 2042 covers an undefined area within Inner West Council.

Overlays © NSW Government
Council
Inner West Council
Postcode
2042
Area
Total lots
5,029

Drill into any lot in Newtown

Open the interactive map — click any address to see its zone, height, FSR, overlays, and approval likelihood.

Open interactive map

Development potential

Where the upside is in Newtown

We score every lot for development signal — under-built relative to the controls, eligible for a granny flat, or sized for subdivision.

Underdeveloped
254

lots with remaining GFA capacity

granny flat eligible
167

under SEPP (Housing) 2021

Subdivision potential
0

lots that may support subdivision

Site assembly
218

adjoining lots with combined upside

Total dev potential
2,716 lots

show at least one development signal

Transport Oriented Dev
370 lots

within a TOD corridor (uplift expected)

Rezoning signal score
44.0 /100

average uplift signal across the suburb · 75 high-signal lots

Theoretical capacity if every lot built to its limit: 5,176 dwellings, with 106,803 m² of unused GFA across the suburb.

Own a property in Newtown?

Check your lot's exact development potential — height, FSR, granny flat, subdivision, dual-occ.

Run a report on your address

Constraints & risks

What could stop you in Newtown

60% of lots have a heritage listing or sit in a Heritage Conservation Area — expect controls on demolition, alterations, and additions; also: 1.0% of lots are within 100m of a recorded contaminated site.

Suburb-wide percentages — your specific lot may have all, some, or none of these.

Flood-affected None

Mapped flood-prone land

Bushfire-prone None

RFS bushfire-prone land mapping

Heritage controls 60.0%

Heritage item or Conservation Area

Near contaminated land 1.0%

Within 100 m of EPA-listed site

Threatened ecology (TEC) None

Mapped TEC vegetation

Sea-level rise exposure None

Coastal hazard mapping

Flight noise contour None

ANEF / aircraft noise

adam freitas

Property management company · serves Newtown, NSW

99 King St, Newtown NSW 2042

View profile

Market

Newtown property market

Sales, rent, and yield data drawn from NSW Property Sales Information and rental bond data over the past 24 months.

Median sale price (24m)
$1,470,000
580 sales · land value $1.17M
Median rent (house)
$780 / wk
Houses
Gross rental yield
2.4%
House, gross of costs

DA activity

Development applications in Newtown

334 development applications for Newtown addresses were decided by Inner West Council over the past 24 months. 287 approved — a 86% approval rate.

86%
Approved
DAs lodged (24m)
334
Approved
287
New dwelling DAs
131
Building approvals (12m)
5

Demographics & lifestyle

Who lives in Newtown

ABS Census 2021 population data combined with lot-level amenity, healthcare, lifestyle, and crime indices.

Green cover
27%
Amenity score
99.2 /100

Walkable amenity within 1 km

Healthcare access
98.9 /100

GP / hospital / pharmacy proximity

Lifestyle score
99.3 /100

Cafés, parks, schools, transport

FAQs

Common questions about Newtown

What's the zoning in Newtown 2042?

Newtown is dominated by the R2 (Low Density Residential) zone, which covers 2,396 of 5,029 lots (49%). The full mix is: R2 Low Density Residential (49%), R1 General Residential (36%), E1 Local Centre (12%), MU1 Mixed Use (2%), SP2 Infrastructure (1%).

What's the height limit and FSR in Newtown?

Across Newtown, the average maximum building height is 9.5 m and the average maximum Floor Space Ratio (FSR) is 0.70:1. Individual lots can vary materially — height and FSR are set per zone in the Local Environmental Plan (LEP) and can be modified by overlays. For an exact figure on a specific address, generate a planning report.

Can I build a granny flat in Newtown?

Yes — 167 lots in Newtown appear eligible for a granny flat under SEPP (Housing) 2021, based on lot size, zoning, and frontage. Eligibility is lot-specific: get a planning report on your address to confirm.

What's the median property price in Newtown?

The median sale price in Newtown over the past 24 months is $1,470,000, across 580 sales. Median unimproved land value is $1,170,000.

What's the median rent in Newtown?

Median weekly rent for a house in Newtown is $780. Gross rental yield works out to 2.4%.

What's the development application approval rate in Inner West Council?

Inner West Council decided 334 development applications for Newtown addresses over the past 24 months, with 287 approved (86% approval rate). Processing time depends heavily on application complexity, council backlog, and whether the application requires referral to other agencies.

What planning constraints apply in Newtown?

Across Newtown, 60% with heritage controls, 1.0% near contaminated sites. These are suburb-wide percentages — every lot has its own combination. A planning report on a specific address shows exactly which controls apply.

What's the development potential of Newtown?

2,716 of 5,029 lots in Newtown show identifiable development potential — under-developed for the planning controls, eligible for a granny flat, or capable of subdivision. 370 lots fall within a Transport Oriented Development corridor. Average rezoning signal score: 44.0 / 100.

Adrian William Real Estate

Real estate agency · serves Newtown, NSW

270-276 King St, Newtown NSW 2042

View profile

Get a planning report for any address in Newtown

Suburb-wide stats are useful for context. For a buy-or-walk decision on a specific lot, you need every control, every constraint, and every clause cited to source.

Run a report — from A$29

14-section report · LEP + SEPP + DCP cross-referenced · cited to source

Methodology & sources

Zoning, height, FSR, and overlays parsed from the Inner West Council Local Environmental Plan, applicable State Environmental Planning Policies, and the Development Control Plan. Property sales drawn from NSW Property Sales Information. DA history aggregated from the NSW Planning Portal. Heritage, flood, bushfire, contaminated land, TEC, sea-level rise, and aircraft noise overlays from the NSW Spatial Services and EPA registers. Population, age, income, and tenure from ABS Census 2021. Aggregated by ZoneDSS · last updated 2026-04-27.

Suburb-wide statistics — your specific lot may vary. Always run a planning report on the actual address before making a decision. How ZoneDSS works →