Elanora Heights 2101 · Northern Beaches
Duplex Builder in Elanora Heights: Two Homes in Bushfire Land
Split a bush-fringe block in two, and the Rural Fire Service joins the conversation.
Elanora Heights sits high above Narrabeen Lagoon with Garigal National Park at its back. Big blocks of 600 to 1,200 square metres make a duplex tempting. On mapped bushfire land, though, the approval path for two homes, and especially for subdividing them, is different from anywhere in the flatter suburbs.
Short answer
Is a duplex possible on bushfire-prone land in Elanora Heights?
Often, but subdividing mapped land makes it integrated development, so the NSW Rural Fire Service must issue a bush fire safety authority within the DA. Expect asset protection zones, access and water supply requirements, and a longer assessment than Northern Beaches' usual 12 to 16 weeks. Complying development generally stops here. Mid-spec construction costs about $2,490 to $2,990 per m².
Written and reviewed by Oliver Alameri
Licensed builder, NSW Contractor Licence 487805C · Founder, Buildana
Fact-checked
Why subdividing changes the approval
A single house on mapped bushfire land needs an assessment and construction to its BAL. Fine. Subdividing that land for homes is another matter, because under the Rural Fires Act residential subdivision of bushfire prone land needs a bush fire safety authority from the RFS.
In planning terms, that makes the DA integrated development. Council refers it to the RFS, the RFS sets its own conditions, and council can't approve without them. It adds weeks, sometimes more, to the assessment.
Building two dwellings and keeping them on one title is assessed differently from subdividing them. Which path you take affects timing, cost and what you can sell later, so it's decided at the start.
Two homes on one title and two homes on two titles are different approvals on bushfire land.
What the RFS looks for with two homes
The state's Planning for Bush Fire Protection guideline is the rulebook. For a duplex, three things come up again and again. Space between each home and the bush, managed as an asset protection zone. Access that a fire truck can actually use. And water.
Access is where many Elanora Heights designs struggle. A long battle-axe driveway to a rear dwelling may need to meet width, grade and turning requirements for fire appliances. If it can't, the layout has to change.
Water supply matters too. Hydrants in the street may cover it. Where they don't, the guideline can require a static water supply on site for firefighting, with fittings the RFS can connect to.
- Asset protection zones around both dwellings
- Driveway width, grade and turning space for fire trucks
- Hydrant coverage, or a static water supply on site
- Construction to the BAL rating for each home
- Landscaping that doesn't bring fuel back to the walls
Two homes on your Elanora Heights block?
Pop the address through. Bushfire map, driveway access, likely approval route: I'll run through all three and say plainly whether a duplex stacks up before you spend on design.
0476 300 300Where complying development stops
The two highest bushfire ratings, BAL-40 and flame zone, rule out a certifier's CDC for new dwellings altogether. That means a DA, referred to the RFS where required. Lower ratings sometimes allow a certifier. A duplex that's also being subdivided on mapped land? Almost always a DA.
That's worth knowing before you pay a designer. We check the bushfire map, estimate the likely BAL and talk through the approval pathway on day one.
Rock, views and the build
Under the bush is Hawkesbury sandstone. Excellent to build on, expensive to dig into, and duplexes often need two garages and driveways cut into slope. Designing the two homes to step with the land keeps rock excavation down.
Northern Beaches pricing sits 13% above the Rawlinsons Sydney baseline, so mid-spec construction comes to roughly $2,490 to $2,990 a square metre here. BAL construction, rock work and any static water tank are added once the assessments are in.
The eastern fall of the suburb looks over the lagoon and to the ocean. On a duplex, getting both homes a share of that view is worth as much design effort as the bushfire work.
Duplex checks on a bush-fringe lot
Six things we confirm before any design work starts.
- 01
Whether the lot is mapped bushfire prone, and the likely BAL for each home
- 02
Keep both homes on one title, or subdivide them
- 03
Driveway length, width and grade for fire truck access
- 04
Street hydrant coverage, or space for a firefighting water tank
- 05
Room for asset protection zones without clearing protected vegetation
- 06
Rock depth where the garages and slabs will sit
Elanora Heights duplex questions
Is a duplex allowed on bushfire prone land?
Usually it is. Both homes must be built to their BAL rating, with asset protection zones, suitable access and water. Subdividing them for separate sale needs a bush fire safety authority from the RFS.
What is integrated development?
A DA that also needs an approval from another agency, like a bush fire safety authority from the RFS. Council refers the application and includes the agency's conditions in the consent.
Is a CDC possible for an Elanora Heights duplex?
Not where the lot's rating is BAL-40 or the flame zone. Lower ratings may allow it for some projects, though subdivision on mapped land usually pushes it to a DA.
Does the RFS need a water tank for firefighting?
Where street hydrants don't provide adequate coverage, the bushfire guideline can require a static water supply on site with fittings the RFS can use.
Sources and references
Costs are from the Rawlinsons handbook with the local cost index applied; rules and timeframes are checked against the sources below.
Two homes, planned with the fire service in mind.
A duplex in Elanora Heights works when bushfire, access and rock are designed for from the first sketch.