Town Planners

Zoning family

General residential zoning

Zones for higher-density housing such as townhouses, flats and group housing.

In plain English

Higher-density residential zones allow more than one dwelling per property. Schemes may split these into several sub-zones with different densities, heights and coverage.

Development usually also needs a site development plan and services capacity confirmation.

Local schemes may use several designations for this family, or none at all. Numbers such as density, height or coverage are set locally and are only shown on local pages where they have been verified.

Questions owners often ask

  • How many units can I build?
  • Do I need a site development plan?

Each of these depends on your specific property. The checks below are what a planner looks at before giving an answer.

What to check

  • The property's zoning as recorded by the municipality (zoning certificate or official map)
  • The exact wording of the applicable land-use scheme for that zone
  • Title deed conditions, which can be stricter than the zoning
  • Overlay zones, heritage or environmental controls and servitudes
  • Any previous approvals and conditions attached to the property

Scheme provisions vs property-specific restrictions

The scheme sets the general rules for the zone. Your property may also carry conditions from earlier approvals, overlay controls, servitudes and title-deed restrictions. All of them apply together.

Possible application routes

Local guides

Next step

Tell us about your property.

Share what you have in mind. We review each enquiry personally and respond with the likely next step.