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

Smiths Lake, NSW 2428 Zoning, development potential & planning controls

Village dominant. Median sale $780K over the last 24 months. 94% of decided DAs approved.

Dominant zone
RU5
Village
Median sale (24m)
$780K
105 sales
DA approval rate
94%
61 of 65 approved
Total lots
1,076
Marketplace

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

Zoning

What you can build in Smiths Lake

Smiths Lake is dominated by RU5Village. Land use rules, height, FSR, and permitted developments are set per zone in the Local Environmental Plan and refined by the Development Control Plan.

RU5
Dominant
RU5 Village 93.3%
C3 Commercial Core 2.5%
R5 Large Lot Residential 2.4%
RU2 Rural Landscape 1.4%
W1 Natural Waterways 0.4%
Avg max height
8.0 m

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

Avg max FSR
0.40:1

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

Use mix
Residential2%
Environment3%
Rural94%

Location

Where Smiths Lake sits

Smiths Lake 2428 covers an undefined area within Mid-Coast Council.

Overlays © NSW Government
Council
Mid-Coast Council
Postcode
2428
Area
Total lots
1,076

Drill into any lot in Smiths Lake

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 Smiths Lake

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

Underdeveloped
785

lots with remaining GFA capacity

granny flat eligible
26

under SEPP (Housing) 2021

Subdivision potential
106

lots that may support subdivision

Total dev potential
1,066 lots

show at least one development signal

Rezoning signal score
23.6 /100

average uplift signal across the suburb

Theoretical capacity if every lot built to its limit: 23,748 dwellings, with 2,270,792 m² of unused GFA across the suburb.

Own a property in Smiths Lake?

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 Smiths Lake

72% of lots are bushfire-prone — a bushfire assessment is likely required; also: 1.7% of lots intersect a Threatened Ecological Community; 0.3% of lots are exposed to projected sea-level rise.

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

Flood-affected None

Mapped flood-prone land

Bushfire-prone 72.3%

RFS bushfire-prone land mapping

Heritage controls None

Heritage item or Conservation Area

Near contaminated land None

Within 100 m of EPA-listed site

Threatened ecology (TEC) 1.7%

Mapped TEC vegetation

Sea-level rise exposure 0.3%

Coastal hazard mapping

Flight noise contour None

ANEF / aircraft noise

Binna Burra Construction Pty Ltd

Home builder · serves Smiths Lake, NSW

2 Keith Cres, Smiths Lake NSW 2428

View profile

Market

Smiths Lake 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)
$780,000
105 sales · land value $302.5K
Median rent (house)
$555 / wk
Houses
Gross rental yield
3.5%
House, gross of costs

DA activity

Development applications in Smiths Lake

65 development applications for Smiths Lake addresses were decided by Mid-Coast Council over the past 24 months. 61 approved — a 94% approval rate. Average processing time: 53 days.

94%
Approved
DAs lodged (24m)
65
Approved
61
New dwelling DAs
89
Building approvals (12m)
19

Demographics & lifestyle

Who lives in Smiths Lake

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

Green cover
61%
Amenity score
53.7 /100

Walkable amenity within 1 km

Healthcare access
38.7 /100

GP / hospital / pharmacy proximity

Lifestyle score
62.4 /100

Cafés, parks, schools, transport

FAQs

Common questions about Smiths Lake

What's the zoning in Smiths Lake 2428?

Smiths Lake is dominated by the RU5 (Village) zone, which covers 996 of 1,076 lots (93%). The full mix is: RU5 Village (93%), C3 Commercial Core (3%), R5 Large Lot Residential (2%), RU2 Rural Landscape (1%), W1 Natural Waterways (0%).

What's the height limit and FSR in Smiths Lake?

Across Smiths Lake, the average maximum building height is 8.0 m and the average maximum Floor Space Ratio (FSR) is 0.40:1. 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 Smiths Lake?

Yes — 26 lots in Smiths Lake 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 Smiths Lake?

The median sale price in Smiths Lake over the past 24 months is $780,000, across 105 sales. Median unimproved land value is $302,500.

What's the median rent in Smiths Lake?

Median weekly rent for a house in Smiths Lake is $555. Gross rental yield works out to 3.5%.

What's the development application approval rate in Mid-Coast Council?

Mid-Coast Council decided 65 development applications for Smiths Lake addresses over the past 24 months, with 61 approved (94% approval rate). Average processing time is 53 days. Processing time depends heavily on application complexity, council backlog, and whether the application requires referral to other agencies.

What planning constraints apply in Smiths Lake?

Across Smiths Lake, 72.3% bushfire-prone. 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 Smiths Lake?

1,066 of 1,076 lots in Smiths Lake show identifiable development potential — under-developed for the planning controls, eligible for a granny flat, or capable of subdivision. Average rezoning signal score: 23.6 / 100.

Pacific Palms Real Estate

Real estate agency · serves Smiths Lake, NSW

Shop 1/56 Macwood Rd, Smiths Lake NSW 2428

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Get a planning report for any address in Smiths Lake

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 Mid-Coast 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 →