Development Control Plan (DCP)

Planning and Design Guidance

Randwick Development Control Plan (DCP) provides detailed planning, design and assessment guidance for new development and alterations and additions across the City. The DCP supports and supplements the provisions of Randwick Local Environment Plan (LEP) 2012, ensuring development is well designed, respects local character, protects amenity and environmental values and contributes to creating attractive, liveable and sustainable neighbourhoods and town centres.

Development Control Plan Review

DCPs are reviewed and updated periodically to ensure they reflect contemporary planning practice, remain strategically aligned with the LEP and local strategies and policies and respond to changes in State planning directions, policies and legislation.

Council is nearing completion of its review of Randwick DCP 2013 which was adopted by Council on 28 May 2013 and formally commenced on Friday 14 June 2013.

Links to the existing DCP 2013 chapters and the updated chapters of Randwick DCP 2025 are available on this page.

The review is being progressed in three stages:

  • Stage 1 (Randwick DCP 2023) - introduced amendments to support the approved amendments to the Randwick LEP arising from Comprehensive Planning Proposal, including provisions relating to minimum lot size, dual occupancy development, heritage conservation areas and housing investigation areas. Stage 1 (Randwick DCP  2023) commenced on 1st September 2023.
  • Stage 2 (Randwick DCP 2025) - This stage comprised a comprehensive review and update of the DCP. This stage supersedes the majority of parts contained in DCP 2013 and all chapters in Stage 1. New parts have been introduced for local character, public artwork and creative hoardings, co-living (including student accommodation) and boarding houses, tourist and visitor accommodation and Little Bay Cove. It also includes a detailed review of existing parts to ensure they remain contemporary and responsive to current planning and design issues, including significant updates to the medium density residential, heritage and night-time economy provisions. A list of parts is set out below. Remaining parts of DCP 2013 will be reviewed as part of Stage 3. Stage 2 (Randwick DCP 2025) was endorsed by Council on 30 June 2026 and commenced on 27 July 2026.
  • Stage 3 - is currently under review and will be reported to Council before end 2026. Stage 3 parts are:
    - Designing with Country (new Part)
    - Noise management
    - Waste management
    - Outdoor Advertising and Signage
    - Matraville town centre.

Randwick Development Control Plan 2025

Randwick Development Control Plan 2025 consists of the provisions introduced through Stage 2 of the DCP Review, together with the remaining provisions of Randwick DCP 2013 that continue to apply. The relevant parts are listed below.

Note: Development applications, modification applications and review applications lodged before the commencement of Randwick DCP 2025 – Stage 2 on 27 July 2026 will continue to be assessed under the provisions of the former DCPs (Randwick DCP 2013 and Randwick DCP 2023). It should be noted that these savings and transitional provisions do not apply to applications that rely on the affordable housing, co-living housing or low and mid-rise housing provisions of State Environmental Planning Policy (Housing) 2021.

Part A – Introduction

Part B – General Controls

Part C – Land Use Controls

Part D – Location Specific Controls

Part F – Miscellaneous Controls (Randwick DCP 2013)

*Council has reviewed the Development Control Plan (DCP) controls for the Randwick Junction Town Centre, alongside provisions within the Randwick Local Environmental Plan (LEP) 2012, as part of the Randwick Junction Town Centre Planning Proposal. The draft Planning Proposal and supporting documents, including the draft DCP, were publicly exhibited from 19 December 2025 to 24 February 2026. Following the public exhibition period, Council considered the submissions received and endorsed the draft DCP at its Ordinary Council Meeting on 26 May 2026. The draft DCP (Part D2 Randwick Junction Town Centre) will commence once the Planning Proposal is finalised and gazetted. Upon commencement, it will supersede the existing Part D3 Randwick Junction Centre of the Randwick DCP 2013.

Randwick Comprehensive Development Control Plan 2013

Randwick DCP 2013 was approved at the Council meeting of Tuesday 28 May 2013 and formally commenced on Friday 14 June 2013.

A savings and transitional provision applies to development applications lodged prior to the commencement of Randwick DCP 2025 on 27 July 2026. Notwithstanding this saving provision, applications lodged and not finally determined before 27 July 2026 that seek consent under the affordable housing, co-living housing, or low and mid-rise housing provisions of State Environmental Planning Policy (Housing) 2021 are not saved and will be assessed against the relevant provisions of Randwick DCP 2025.  The relevant Chapters and parts of the Housing SEPP are:

  • Affordable Housing – Chapter 2, Part 1 and Part 2
  • Co-living housing – Chapter 3, Part 3
  • Low and Mid Rise Housing - Chapter 6

The 2013 DCP comprises the following:

Part A - Introduction

This Part contains an introduction and explanation of the structure of the DCP. It sets out the overarching objectives of the DCP and describes key requirements that must be addressed in development applications (DAs).  Section A3 - Public Notification of part A has been repealed and superseded by the Community Engagement Strategy (CES) which was adopted by Council on 13 December 2022. The CES can be accessed here.

Part B - General Controls

This Part contains key controls that apply to all DAs and should be read in addition to the controls for particular development types and locations in other Parts of the DCP.

This Part covers design, heritage, ecologically sustainable development, landscaping and biodiversity, trees and vegetation, recycling and waste, traffic, parking and access, water management, management plans, foreshore scenic protection areas and laneway development.

Part C - Residential

This Part establishes provisions for all types of residential accommodation and includes guidance on site planning, building envelopes, building design, setbacks, open space, landscaped area, amenity, car parking and ancillary elements for low density and medium density residential development. This Part also has separate sections on boarding houses and adaptable and universal housing.

Part D - Commercial and Industrial

This Part focuses on the City's commercial centres with specific sections for certain Centres including:

This Part also sets out provisions for specific commercial land uses such as backpackers accommodation, child care centres, footpath dining and trading, late night trading and sex service premises. It also includes a section on industrial development:

Part E - Specific Sites

This Part provides additional provisions for Specific Sites in the City. These override similar provisions in other parts of the DCP unless otherwise noted.  The specific sites are:

Part F - Miscellaneous

This Part includes a range of uses and development that may arise across the City in a variety of zones. It includes provisions relevant to recreation zones, outdoor advertising, Sydney Airport (noise and height),  undergrounding overhead powerlines, telecommunications and radio communications, and must be referred to depending on the location and nature of the proposed development.

To view the DCP public exhibition documents, including all submissions made on the draft DCP, responses to these submissions and the draft final DCP that was reported to the Council on 28 May 2013, go to the special consultation website Draft DCP.

Note DAs lodged before the 15 February 2013 are assessed under the previous local planning controls, being Randwick LEP 1998 (Consolidation) and previous DCPs. Refer to the archive pages here for the and DCPs and planning policies.

Stage 1

Stage 1 DCP commenced on 1st September 2023. This means that any development application lodged (i.e. submitted and with fees paid) on or after the 1st September 2023 that proposes works covered by the new Stage 1 DCP parts will be assessed against the new DCP parts. They are as follows:

All other parts of Randwick DCP 2013, are still in force. See links provided in the section below - Randwick Comprehensive Development Control Plan 2013.

Kensington North and West Randwick R3 Housing Investigation Areas (HIAs)

In response to the re-inclusion of Kensington North and West Randwick R3 HIAs by the Department of Planning, an updated draft Part E7 Housing Investigation Areas has been prepared to provide design guidance for development proposals within the Kensington North and West Randwick R3 HIAs. On 19 September 2023 Council resolved to adopt interim controls for these areas, pending formal public exhibition. The updated draft Part E7 will be released for community and stakeholder consultation as part of the Stage 2 review.

For development within all other HIA areas, please continue to refer to the finalised Stage 1 version dated 27 June 2023.

Archived DCPs

View the Archive of previous DCPs .

Public exhibitions

To see any draft plans on exhibition check the community consultation page

Last Updated: 17 August 2026
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