ZoneScout

Where can you build Exhibition homes in NSW?

“Exhibition homes” is a defined term in the NSW planning system, and every council’s Local Environmental Plan decides which zones allow it. Across 147 council LEPs it is permitted in 18 zones and prohibited in 31.

Zone by zone, across 147 NSW councils

Each row counts councils, not properties. “Without consent” means no application is needed; “with consent” means a development application. “Can’t say” is not a ban. Either the council has no rule for this use in that zone, or the use is a broad term whose types the table treats differently, so the answer depends on which type a project is.

ZoneWithout consentWith consentProhibitedCan’t sayCouncils with this zone
R1 General Residential—916—97
RU5 Village—8020—100
R5 Large Lot Residential—7135—106
R2 Low Density Residential—6621—87
R3 Medium Density Residential—5420—74
MU1 Mixed Use—3453—87
E1 Local Centre—28921121
R4 High Density Residential—1812—30
E2 Commercial Centre—1253—65
E3 Productivity Support—1085—95
E4 General Industrial—8116—124
RU4 Primary Production Small Lots—549—54
RU1 Primary Production—3104—107
RU2 Rural Landscape—247—49
SP3 Tourist—248—50
C4 Environmental Living—160—61
RU6 Transition—113—14
SP5 Metropolitan Centre—1——1
C1 National Parks and Nature Reserves——123—123
C2 Environmental Conservation——91—91
C3 Environmental Management——85—85
E5 Heavy Industrial——26—26
RE1 Public Recreation——134—134
RE2 Private Recreation——125—125
RU3 Forestry——81—81
SP1 Special Activities——78—78
SP2 Infrastructure——1341135
SP4 Enterprise——14—14
W1 Natural Waterways——63—63
W2 Recreational Waterways——59—59
W3 Working Waterways——10—10
W4 Working Waterfront——23—23

How those answers were reached. 1,431 of the “prohibited” answers and 296 of the “with consent” answers come from the zone’s catch-all row. The scheme doesn’t name this use in that zone, but it says what happens to everything it has not named. That is a real answer, not a guess, and it is the reason a count of explicit listings would tell you the opposite in some zones.

What this page cannot tell you

Which zone your land is in, and whether your project is characterised as a exhibition homes in the first place. The first is a question about an address; the second is a planning judgement. Check an address for the zone and the overlays on it.

Frequently asked questions

Are exhibition homes allowed in every council in New South Wales?

No. Each council’s Local Environmental Plan has its own land use table, and they differ. This page counts, zone by zone, how many of the 147 NSW council LEPs permit it, prohibit it, or say nothing either way.

My zone shows a number under “Can’t say”. What does that mean?

It means the council’s table doesn’t settle it. Either it neither names this use in that zone nor has a catch-all row for everything it has not named, or this is a broad term (such as agriculture or retail premises) and the table lists some of its types but not the term as a whole. It is not a ban and it is not permission.

Does this tell me whether my project counts as exhibition homes?

No, and that is deliberate. Deciding which defined term your project is called is a planning judgement, not something this page can do for you. Search your address for the zone, then talk to a planner about how the project is characterised.

Sources

Last reviewed: the published LEPs. Rules can change, so verify with your council before starting work.

General guidance only. Not professional planning advice. Land use tables change as councils amend their LEPs; always confirm against the current instrument for your land.

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