Where can you build Specialised retail premises in NSW?
“Specialised retail premises” 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 13 zones and prohibited in 28.
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.
| Zone | Without consent | With consent | Prohibited | Can’t say | Councils with this zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E1 Local Centre | — | 121 | — | — | 121 |
| E3 Productivity Support | — | 95 | — | — | 95 |
| MU1 Mixed Use | — | 87 | — | — | 87 |
| RU5 Village | — | 73 | 27 | — | 100 |
| E2 Commercial Centre | — | 64 | 1 | — | 65 |
| E4 General Industrial | — | 23 | 101 | — | 124 |
| W4 Working Waterfront | — | 3 | 20 | — | 23 |
| R1 General Residential | — | 2 | 95 | — | 97 |
| SP3 Tourist | — | 2 | 48 | — | 50 |
| E5 Heavy Industrial | — | 1 | 25 | — | 26 |
| RU1 Primary Production | — | 1 | 106 | — | 107 |
| SP4 Enterprise | — | 1 | 13 | — | 14 |
| SP5 Metropolitan Centre | — | 1 | — | — | 1 |
| C1 National Parks and Nature Reserves | — | — | 123 | — | 123 |
| C2 Environmental Conservation | — | — | 91 | — | 91 |
| C3 Environmental Management | — | — | 85 | — | 85 |
| C4 Environmental Living | — | — | 61 | — | 61 |
| R2 Low Density Residential | — | — | 87 | — | 87 |
| R3 Medium Density Residential | — | — | 74 | — | 74 |
| R4 High Density Residential | — | — | 30 | — | 30 |
| R5 Large Lot Residential | — | — | 106 | — | 106 |
| RE1 Public Recreation | — | — | 134 | — | 134 |
| RE2 Private Recreation | — | — | 125 | — | 125 |
| RU2 Rural Landscape | — | — | 49 | — | 49 |
| RU3 Forestry | — | — | 81 | — | 81 |
| RU4 Primary Production Small Lots | — | — | 54 | — | 54 |
| RU6 Transition | — | — | 14 | — | 14 |
| SP1 Special Activities | — | — | 78 | — | 78 |
| SP2 Infrastructure | — | — | 134 | 1 | 135 |
| W1 Natural Waterways | — | — | 63 | — | 63 |
| W2 Recreational Waterways | — | — | 59 | — | 59 |
| W3 Working Waterways | — | — | 10 | — | 10 |
How those answers were reached. 1,280 of the “prohibited” answers and 61 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 specialised retail premises 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 specialised retail premises 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 specialised retail premises?
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
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 block, including the zone, overlays and approval path, before you spend money on drawings.
- Qualified, practising town planners
- Advice specific to your property
- Free, with no obligation