ZoneScout

Where can you build Roads in NSW?

“Roads” 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 32 zones and prohibited in 7.

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
SP2 Infrastructure6471——135
RE1 Public Recreation5876——134
RE2 Private Recreation3788——125
E4 General Industrial4480——124
E1 Local Centre3784——121
RU1 Primary Production4859——107
R5 Large Lot Residential4165——106
RU5 Village4654——100
R1 General Residential3463——97
E3 Productivity Support2669——95
MU1 Mixed Use2067——87
R2 Low Density Residential1869——87
C3 Environmental Management1075——85
RU3 Forestry46341—81
C2 Environmental Conservation67213—91
R3 Medium Density Residential1163——74
E2 Commercial Centre1253——65
C4 Environmental Living1150——61
RU4 Primary Production Small Lots2034——54
SP3 Tourist1337——50
RU2 Rural Landscape643——49
W2 Recreational Waterways23423—59
W1 Natural Waterways13329—63
R4 High Density Residential—30——30
SP1 Special Activities72348—78
E5 Heavy Industrial818——26
W4 Working Waterfront221——23
RU6 Transition68——14
SP4 Enterprise212——14
W3 Working Waterways—37—10
C1 National Parks and Nature Reserves2—121—123
SP5 Metropolitan Centre—1——1

How those answers were reached. 242 of the “prohibited” answers and 323 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 roads 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 roads 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 roads?

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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