W4 Working Waterfront zone in NSW

What the zone is for

Every council that uses W4 includes these objectives, word for word. They come from the Standard Instrument, the template all NSW council plans are built on:

• To retain and encourage industrial and maritime activities on foreshores.
• To identify sites for maritime purposes and for activities requiring direct foreshore access.
• To ensure that development does not have an adverse impact on the environment and visual qualities of the foreshore.
• To encourage employment opportunities.
• To minimise any adverse effect of development on land uses in other zones.

10 of the 23 LEPs add objectives of their own, so the full list for a property depends on its council.

Allowed in most councils (12)

Each number is a count of LEPs, not properties. No consent needed means the use itself doesn’t need a development application. With consent means it does. Can’t say is not a ban: either that council has no rule for the use, or it is a broad term whose types the table treats differently, so it depends on the type of project.

Councils differ (39)

These uses are allowed by some councils that use W4 and prohibited by others, so the answer depends on which council the land is in.

Prohibited in most councils (53)

Most of the LEPs that use W4 prohibit these, either by naming them or through the catch-all rule below.

Uses the table doesn’t name

Every council’s table ends with a rule for anything it hasn’t listed. 11 of the 23 LEPs prohibit any use their W4 table doesn’t name. The other 12 allow such uses with consent.

That is why a use can be counted as prohibited above in more councils than actually name it.

What the zone doesn’t tell you

• Lot size, height and floor space are set on the LEP maps for each property, so they vary within the same zone.
• Heritage, flood and bushfire mapping can limit what is possible on a lot even where the zone allows it.
• State policies can apply as well as the council’s table. Granny flats are dealt with under the Housing SEPP, and small works such as sheds can be exempt development under the Codes SEPP. See the NSW granny flat rules and NSW shed rules.

An address search shows all of this for one property.

Council LEPs that use W4 (23)

Some councils have more than one LEP, each covering part of the area.

• Bega Valley LEP 2013
• Central Coast LEP 2022
• Clarence Valley LEP 2011
• Coffs Harbour LEP 2013
• Great Lakes LEP 2014
• Greater Taree LEP 2010
• Hornsby LEP 2013
• Hunters Hill LEP 2012
• Inner West LEP 2022
• Kiama LEP 2011
• Lake Macquarie LEP 2014
• Lane Cove LEP 2009
• North Sydney LEP 2013
• Pittwater LEP 2014
• Port Macquarie-Hastings LEP 2011
• Port Stephens LEP 2013
• Richmond Valley LEP 2012
• Ryde LEP 2014
• Shoalhaven LEP 2014
• Sutherland Shire LEP 2015
• Tweed City Centre LEP 2012
• Tweed LEP 2014
• Wollongong LEP 2009

Land zoned under a State Environmental Planning Policy rather than a council LEP, such as some growth precincts, isn’t included in these counts.

Frequently asked questions