Landscaped area and deep soil zones: AU residential planning controls
How landscaped area and deep soil zone controls work in AU residential: NSW ADG, council DCPs, tree canopy credits, podium-deck traps, state-by-state.
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Landscaped area and deep soil zones are separate planning controls that often appear on the same DA drawing set but measure different things. Landscaped area is any soft planted surface, expressed as a percentage of the site. Deep soil is a stricter subset: natural ground (no slab or structure beneath it), contiguous, and wide enough to support tree roots. Under the NSW Apartment Design Guide, residential flat buildings must provide at least 7% of the site as deep soil, with a minimum width of 3m for most sites. Council DCPs layer a separate landscaped area requirement on top, often 30-50% for houses. Podium planters and above-slab garden beds do not count as deep soil, and that is the trap that bites builders on tight inner-urban lots.
What this article is for
Two controls often get conflated on drawings. A builder reads “landscaped area 40%” in the DCP and assumes the rooftop garden on the podium deck will tick the box. A certifier reads the ADG compliance table and flags the deep soil zone as non-compliant. The project stalls.
This article covers:
- What each control measures and how they relate.
- The NSW Apartment Design Guide deep soil standards (section 3E).
- How council DCPs set landscaped area minimums for houses and low-rise.
- Tree canopy credit rules used by some councils.
- State-by-state variance in how open space and permeability are controlled.
- The practical gotchas that catch builders, especially on small lots with basement parking.
It sits alongside site coverage and hard surface controls and floor space ratio. Between those three controls, you have the basic envelope arithmetic for most residential DAs.
Landscaped area vs deep soil
| Feature | Landscaped area | Deep soil zone |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Any soft planted surface: lawns, garden beds, planter strips | Natural ground, no slab or structure beneath, contiguous |
| Measurement | Percentage of site area | Percentage of site area + minimum width |
| Typical minimum | 30-50% (houses, council DCP); 30% (low-rise, some state codes) | 7% (apartments, NSW ADG); 10-15% (some DCPs) |
| Counts podium planters? | Sometimes yes, DCP-specific | No |
| Counts above-slab garden beds? | Sometimes yes | No |
| Minimum width rule | Usually 1.5m strip excluded (Camden DCP example) | 3m (sites 650m+-1,500m+); 6m (sites >1,500m+) under ADG |
| Primary purpose | Amenity, permeability, stormwater | Tree root zone, groundwater recharge, urban cooling |
The key relationship: deep soil always qualifies as landscaped area, but not all landscaped area is deep soil. A site can meet its DCP landscaped area requirement entirely with above-slab planters and still fail the ADG deep soil test.
The NSW Apartment Design Guide deep soil zones
The Apartment Design Guide (ADG) applies to residential flat buildings (Class 2) in NSW under Housing SEPP 2021. Section 3E sets out the deep soil zone standard.
Minimum area: 7% of the site area, regardless of site size.
Minimum dimensions by site area:
| Site area | Minimum width of each zone |
|---|---|
| Less than 650m2 | No minimum dimension specified |
| 650m2 to 1,500m2 | 3m |
| Greater than 1,500m2 | 6m |
What qualifies:
- Natural ground, in contact with soil below.
- Contiguous areas (fragmented slivers do not aggregate to the 7%).
- Soil profile capable of supporting canopy trees.
What does not qualify:
- Any area above a basement slab, podium, or car park deck.
- Planter boxes or raised garden beds, regardless of depth.
- Areas with underground services running through them (minor exceptions: pipes under 300mm diameter may be acceptable; check with the consent authority).
- Strips narrower than the relevant minimum dimension.
The ADG is a design guide, not legislation, but Housing SEPP 2021 makes it a mandatory consideration for Class 2 development consent. Councils are required to consider compliance when assessing DAs. Non-compliance is not automatically fatal to an application, but you need a strong design-quality argument to justify variation, and most certifiers will flag it as a reason for rejection.
Low and Mid-Rise Housing (2025 amendment): The February 2025 SEPP (Housing) amendment extended similar landscaping and deep soil requirements to dual occupancies, multi-dwelling housing, and manor houses under the Low and Mid-Rise Housing policy. The NSW Department published a Tree Canopy Guide (February 2025) requiring consent authorities to consider tree canopy, deep soil area, and tree planting rates before granting consent for these development types. Minimum deep soil dimensions of 3m apply for trees in these contexts.
Council DCP landscaped area requirements
For Class 1a houses and smaller Class 2 buildings not governed by the ADG, the landscaped area minimum comes from the local DCP. Requirements vary by council. The Standard Instrument LEP 2006 defines landscaped area as “a part of a site used for growing plants, grasses and trees” and excludes buildings, structures, and hard paved areas. DCPs then set the percentage.
Typical ranges across NSW councils:
| Development type | Typical DCP minimum | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Detached house | 30-50% | Camden 30%; Mosman 25-50% depending on lot size |
| Dual occupancy | 30-40% | Varies by lot size |
| Residential flat building (small) | 25-35% | Sits alongside ADG deep soil requirement |
| Low-rise multi-dwelling | 30-40% |
Common exclusion rules in DCPs:
- Strips less than 1.5m wide do not count (Camden DCP, a representative example).
- Synthetic or artificial turf does not count.
- Paved areas, driveways, pools, and hard surfaces do not count even if surrounded by planting.
Always read the specific DCP for the council area. Ranges above are indicative; individual DCPs are the binding instrument.
Tree canopy credit rules
Some councils allow a credit toward the landscaped area or greening requirement for existing or proposed tree canopy. The mechanism varies.
How it works in practice:
- The projected canopy area (the ground area beneath a tree’s canopy at maturity) may count as part of the landscaped or green area calculation, even where the ground surface below it is paved.
- Soil volume requirements apply: NSW guidance recommends soil volume equivalent to one-third of the projected canopy area, with a specified minimum depth, to count the canopy credit.
- The Maitland DCP 2025 is an example of a council that has codified canopy cover guidelines directly in an appendix.
- City of Sydney DCP 2012 requires a minimum 15% canopy cover within 10 years of development completion.
What this means for builders:
- Check whether the DCP you are working under includes a canopy credit provision. It is not universal.
- Where a credit applies, the canopy projection counts toward landscaped area calculations, not toward deep soil. Deep soil is a separate metric.
- Crediting canopy over a paved driveway does not convert that driveway into deep soil.
- The tree must be in a suitable soil zone (adequate depth and volume) to support the canopy credit claim.
State variance
| State | Key control | Instrument | Typical minimum | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | Landscaped area (houses) | Council DCP | 30-50% | Set by DCP; varies by council and lot size |
| NSW | Deep soil zone (apartments) | ADG under Housing SEPP 2021 | 7% + width rules | Mandatory consideration; Class 2 buildings |
| VIC | Site permeability (one dwelling) | ResCode clause 54, standard A6 | 20% of site | Minimum pervious area; schedule to zone may increase or vary |
| VIC | Private open space (multi-dwelling) | ResCode clause 55, standard B28 | 40m2 per dwelling; 3m wide, 5m min dimension | At least half must be permeable to support plant growth |
| QLD | Open space / landscaping | Local planning scheme codes | Varies by council; often 30% for residential zones | Brisbane City Plan: maximum 70% impervious area (so 30% pervious minimum for multi-dwelling) |
| WA | Open space | R-Codes Volume 1, Table 1 | R20: 50%; R25: 50%; R30: 45%; R40: 45% | Proportion of lot that must remain unbuilt (driveways and paved parking excluded from open space) |
| SA | Landscaping / deep root zones | Planning and Design Code (zone provisions) | Varies by zone and subzone | Embedded in residential zone policies; General Neighbourhood and Suburban Neighbourhood zones include site coverage and open space controls |
VIC and WA distinguish permeability or open space from landscaped area. Meeting the VIC 20% permeability standard means the surface must allow water infiltration. Conventional concrete and asphalt do not count. Natural lawns, garden beds, gravel, and permeable paving typically do.
What can go wrong
Assuming podium planters count as deep soil. They do not, in NSW or anywhere with an ADG-equivalent rule. Planters above a basement deck sit on a slab. No matter how deep the planting medium, there is no connection to natural ground. The project might meet landscaped area calculations on paper while failing the deep soil check entirely. Check this before design commences, not after.
Assuming all landscaped area counts as deep soil. They are not the same control. A DCP might require 35% landscaped area; the ADG requires 7% deep soil. You can satisfy both independently, or you can satisfy one while failing the other. Treat them as two separate boxes to tick.
Treating basement parking and deep soil as compatible on small lots. A 400m2 inner-city lot with a two-level basement car park has almost no natural ground left at surface level. 7% of 400m2 is 28m2 of deep soil. On a footprint that is 85%+ basement, finding 28m2 of natural ground with a 3m minimum width is extremely difficult. This is a design problem that needs resolving at the scheme stage, not the DA stage.
Using pavers and planter boxes in the landscaped area calculation without reading the DCP exclusions. Most DCPs exclude strips under 1.5m wide and all hard paving. A neatly paved courtyard surrounded by planter boxes may contribute zero toward the landscaped area requirement.
Counting artificial turf. Camden’s DCP (and many others) explicitly excludes synthetic turf. A common substitution on low-maintenance residential projects that frequently gets flagged at DA.
Reading a neighbouring council’s DCP. Landscaped area minimums, exclusions, and canopy credit rules vary by council. The 30% figure that applied to the last job in one LGA may be 40% in the next.
How to use this with related articles
- Site coverage and hard surface controls: the inverse of landscaped area. If a DCP sets 40% landscaped area, you have at most 60% site coverage (less what you lose to setbacks and other requirements). Read both together to close the arithmetic loop.
- Floor space ratio: FSR caps total floor area. Landscaped area and deep soil constrain what you can build on the ground plane. They are independent controls but interact on small lots.
- DCPs: your council DCP is the primary source for landscaped area minimums, exclusion rules, and canopy credit provisions.
- SEPPs in NSW: Housing SEPP 2021 is the instrument that activates the ADG and its deep soil requirements for Class 2 development.
- Housing SEPP 2021 blanket override: covers how the Housing SEPP 2021 interacts with (and overrides) council DCPs and LEPs.
References
- State Environmental Planning Policy (Housing) 2021 (NSW), via legislation.nsw.gov.au (verified 2026-05-23).
- Apartment Design Guide (NSW), Part 3 (Siting the development) and section 3E (Deep soil zones), via planning.nsw.gov.au (verified 2026-05-23).
- NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, Tree Canopy Guide for Low and Mid-Rise Housing (February 2025), published by multiple councils including Ku-ring-gai Council (verified 2026-05-23).
- NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, Urban Tree Canopy Targets and Development Controls Report (October 2023), via planning.nsw.gov.au (verified 2026-05-23).
- Camden Council Development Control Plan, Landscaped Area provisions, via dcp.camden.nsw.gov.au (verified 2026-05-23).
- Victoria Planning Provisions, Clause 54 (Standard A6 Permeability) and Clause 55 (Standard B28 Private Open Space), via planning.vic.gov.au (verified 2026-05-23).
- Planning Practice Note 27: Understanding the Residential Development Standards (February 2024), via planning.vic.gov.au (verified 2026-05-23).
- WA Residential Design Codes Volume 1 (2024), Table 1 open space requirements, via wa.gov.au (verified 2026-05-23).
- Brisbane City Plan 2014, residential development provisions, via brisbane.qld.gov.au (verified 2026-05-23).
Related
- Site coverage and hard surface controls
- Floor space ratio
- DCPs (Development Control Plans) NSW: how to read them for a residential project
- SEPPs in NSW: what they are and when they affect your project
- NSW planning scheme structure
- VIC planning scheme structure
- WA planning scheme structure
See also
- LEPs (Local Environmental Plans) NSW
- Solar access and overshadowing
- Housing SEPP 2021 NSW blanket override
- Setbacks
- DCP (glossary)
- SEPP (glossary)
Last updated: 2026-05-23. Verified: 2026-05-23. Quarterly review for currency. Deep soil zone dimensions and ADG section numbers verified against NSW Planning Portal ADG Part 3. State permeability and open space figures verified against VIC PPN27, WA R-Codes Volume 1 2024, and Brisbane City Plan.