How to measure area of lawn and/or area of garden

The area of lawn and/or area of garden is measured directly from the development application plans and is the total area (in square metres) nominated as lawn and/or garden beds.

WATER TARGET ZONE 40 AND SITES SMALLER THAN 1000m²

The entire pervious vegetated area must be entered as area of garden and lawn.

DO include:

• areas of existing plantings;
• area of indigenous/low water use plant species;
• areas contained within permanent planter boxes (i.e. planter boxes that cannot be moved);
• vegetable patches and/or fruit trees; and
• areas disturbed during the building process, which will be replanted.

DO NOT include

• those areas of your garden that will be landscaped with hard surfaces (such as rocks in rock gardens). Include only those areas that will be landscaped with plants;
• vertical areas of vegetated surfaces (e.g. trellis gardens);
• areas of movable pot plants; and
• wastewater/effluent disposal areas, as required by Council, for sites that have onsite sewerage management systems.

ALL SITES IN WATER TARGET ZONES 0,10,20,30

Must enter a garden and lawn area, however they have a choice of:

• defining the entire pervious vegetated area, or
• defining the formal garden and lawn area within the site and having that supported by the development plans –  i.e. the entire pervious vegetated area does not need to be nominated, see below.

DO include

• areas of existing plantings;
• areas to be turfed or lawn that will be actively maintained;
• area of indigenous/low water use plant species;
• areas contained within permanent planter boxes (i.e. planter boxes that cannot be moved);
• vegetable patches and/or fruit trees; and
• areas disturbed during the building process, which will be replanted.

DO NOT include

• those areas of your garden that will be landscaped with hard surfaces (such as rocks in rock gardens). Include only those areas that will be landscaped with plants;
• areas of naturally existing vegetation or rural land uses (such as pasture, paddock or National Park). Only include the formal residential garden area when entering values into the landscape page;
• vertical areas of vegetated surfaces (e.g. trellis gardens);
• areas of movable pot plants; and
• wastewater/effluent disposal areas, as required by Council, for sites that have onsite sewerage management systems.

ALL WATER TARGET ZONES AND SITES GREATER THAN 1000m²

Must enter a garden and lawn area, however they have a choice of:

• defining the entire pervious vegetated area, or
• defining the formal garden area within the site and having that supported by the development plans- i.e. the entire pervious vegetated area does not need to be nominated, see below.

DO include

• areas of existing plantings;
• areas to be turfed or lawn that will be actively maintained;
• area of indigenous/low water use plant species;
• areas contained within permanent planter boxes (i.e. planter boxes that cannot be moved);
• vegetable patches and/or fruit trees; and
• areas disturbed during the building process, which will be replanted.

DO NOT include

• those areas of your garden that will be landscaped with hard surfaces (such as rocks in rock gardens). Include only those areas that will be landscaped with plants;
• areas of naturally existing vegetation or rural land uses (such as pasture, paddock or National Park). Only include the formal residential garden area when entering values into the landscape page;
• vertical areas of vegetated surfaces (e.g. trellis gardens);
• areas of movable pot plants; and
• wastewater/effluent disposal areas, as required by Council, for sites that have onsite sewerage management systems.

Ensure the formal garden area is correct and consistent with the development application plans, otherwise the project does not satisfy the conditions of the BASIX.

NOTE: In the case of applications for 1 bedroom dwellings (e.g.: granny flats) on sites with an existing dwelling, you may specify "0" as the area of garden and lawn.

Asset Protection Zones (APZ) for bush fire protection should be included if they are considered 'formal' residential garden areas.  These can comprise of both lawn and appropriate indigenous species. Detailed information can be found in 'Guidelines for Asset Protection Zones', NSW Rural Fire Service.

When completing your BASIX assessment, you MUST enter the total area of garden and lawn which will be included in your development. BASIX does not require your garden and lawn to be established before you may occupy your home, however, you have an obligation under your development consent to ensure that landscaping commitments are fulfilled.

The consent authority may carry out post-occupation inspections to ensure that your development complies with the conditions of your development consent. Remember, all BASIX commitments, including landscaping commitments, form part of your consent.

See also:

How do I indicate landscaping on my development application?

What are indigenous/low water use species?

How do I use this page to increase my water score?