ZoneScout

Where can you build Pond-based aquaculture in NSW?

“Pond-based aquaculture” 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 23 zones and prohibited in 27.

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 — those councils have not addressed this use in that zone at all.

ZoneWithout consentWith consentProhibitedCan’t sayCouncils with this zone
E4 General Industrial—10618—124
R5 Large Lot Residential—106——106
E1 Local Centre—10021—121
R1 General Residential—97——97
R2 Low Density Residential—87——87
C3 Environmental Management—85——85
E3 Productivity Support—7718—95
MU1 Mixed Use—6621—87
C4 Environmental Living—61——61
RU5 Village—6040—100
E2 Commercial Centre—5312—65
R3 Medium Density Residential—2846—74
RU1 Primary Production—2384—107
E5 Heavy Industrial—188—26
RU4 Primary Production Small Lots—1440—54
W4 Working Waterfront—1211—23
R4 High Density Residential—822—30
RU2 Rural Landscape—841—49
SP4 Enterprise—86—14
RE2 Private Recreation—6119—125
SP3 Tourist—644—50
RU6 Transition—212—14
SP1 Special Activities—177—78
C1 National Parks and Nature Reserves——123—123
C2 Environmental Conservation——91—91
RE1 Public Recreation——134—134
RU3 Forestry——81—81
SP2 Infrastructure——1341135
SP5 Metropolitan Centre——1—1
W1 Natural Waterways——63—63
W2 Recreational Waterways——59—59
W3 Working Waterways——10—10

How those answers were reached. 1,220 of the “prohibited” answers and 558 of the “with consent” answers come from the zone’s catch-all row — the scheme does not 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 pond-based aquaculture 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 pond-based aquaculture 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 those councils neither name this use in that zone nor have a catch-all row covering everything they have not named. It is not a ban and it is not permission. Only an explicit listing in the prohibited rung, or a catch-all that prohibits, is a prohibition.

Does this tell me whether my project counts as pond-based aquaculture?

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 — 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.

Talk to a town planner in New South Wales

This page covers the general rules. A qualified town planner can tell you what applies to your actual block — the zone, the overlays and the approval path — before you spend money on drawings.

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