Council has received approval from the NSW Government on 1 September 2023 to amend its local planning laws to enable secondary dwellings (granny flats) in rural zones, which aims to increase housing diversity and contribute to more affordable housing options within the region.
At the July Ordinary Council meeting, Councillors endorsed an amendment to the Port Macquarie-Hastings Local Environmental Plan 2011 (LEP) permitting landowners to build secondary dwellings on land zoned RU1 Primary Production, RU2 Rural Landscape, and RU5 Village. A copy of the Council meeting minutes can be viewed via: Agendas and minutes Port Macquarie Hastings Council (nsw.gov.au).
This change permits:
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up to 60m2 of total floor area for the secondary dwelling, or 33 per cent of the total floor area of the principal dwelling, excluding any area used for parking; and
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the distance between the secondary dwelling and the principal dwelling must not exceed 100 metres.
Check the ePlanning Spatial Viewer to see what zone applies to your land.
The Spatial Viewer includes a link to the Port Macquarie-Hastings Local Environmental Plan 2011 (LEP), which outlines whether secondary dwellings (granny flats) are permissible in the rural zones.
When preparing a development application for a secondary dwelling in a rural zone, it is recommended that you seek advice from industry professionals who are experienced in application requirements as there are often many factors that need to be taken into account, such as biodiversity, bushfire and on-site sewerage management and requirements which vary from site to site. Industry professionals to consult may include building designers, architects, town planners, land surveyors, engineers, bushfire consultants, ecologists, flood consultants etc.
Please note that development contributions may apply to secondary dwellings.