Development applications in Northern Beaches Council
We have no rezoning amendments on record for this council yet, but we track its development applications. The figures below are counted directly from the development application register over the last 12 months.
Development applications · last 12 months
Applications lodged in this council in the trailing 12 months, by current status. Counted directly from the development application register.
- Total lodged
- 1782
- last 12 months
- Lodged
- 0
- Under assessment
- 419
- Determined
- 1295
- Withdrawn
- 68
See all development applications in Northern Beaches Council
Decision speed
How quickly this council determines a development application, measured from lodgement to determination across every decided application that carries both dates.
- Median time to decision
- 59 days
- half are decided faster than this
- Average
- 75 days
- a few slow cases pull this up
- Based on
- 3,702
- determined applications
Planning disputes
20 on recordPlanning and environment court and tribunal matters naming Northern Beaches Council, newest first. Each links to the full public judgment.
| Matter | Court | Decided |
|---|---|---|
| Northern Beaches Council v Vigor Master Pty Ltd [2025] NSWLEC 136 APPEAL – appeal against Commissioner’s decision on a question of law – whether inconsistency between different statutes and statutory instrument – whether misconstruction of statutory provision for resolving inconsistency – whether misconstruction of statutory provisions supposed to be inconsistent – whether actual inconsistency between statutory provisions | NSWLEC | 27 Nov 2025 |
| The Owners – Strata Plan No 7114 v Northern Beaches Council [2025] NSWCA 197 CONTRACT — Local council licensed car parking spaces to owners corporation — Council claim for unpaid licence fees — Owners corporation cross-claim to recover licence fees paid under mistaken belief of obligation to pay — Construction of licence agreement — No mistaken payment — Owners corporation liable for unpaid licence fees TORTS — Trespass and private nuisance — Roller door restricting potential incorporation of spaces into public car park — Loss of car park revenue — Substantial and unreas | NSWCA | 28 Aug 2025 |
| Kingfisher Properties Pty Limited v Northern Beaches Council [2025] NSWLEC 39 OFFENCES AND PENALTIES – sentence by Local Court – appeal against sentence – offence of failing to comply with development control order – development control order largely outside power – non-compliance with potentially invalid order of low objective seriousness – no environmental harm, foreseeability of harm or practical measures to prevent harm – offence deliberate but not for financial gain – mitigating factors | NSWLEC | 30 Apr 2025 |
| May v Northern Beaches Council [2023] NSWCA 205 APPEALS — Leave to appeal — interlocutory decision in Land and Environment Court to summarily dismiss judicial review proceedings — applicant advanced no discrete basis for grant of leave — proposed grounds of appeal relied on in support of leave — leave refused | NSWCA | 5 Sept 2023 |
| May v Northern Beaches Council and Anor (No 3) [2023] NSWLEC 72 COSTS — Costs orders on successful motions to strike out proceedings sought against litigant in person — General rule that costs follow the event — Whether departure from usual costs rule justified — Whether litigation can be characterised as public interest litigation — Whether indemnity costs orders should be made — Whether more than one set of costs should be ordered | NSWLEC | 12 July 2023 |
| May v Northern Beaches Council and Anor (No 2) [2023] NSWLEC 7 CIVIL PROCEDURE — Applications seeking summary dismissal or strike out of proceedings — Application to file judicial review out of time — Jurisdictional error not established — Motion granted in that summons dismissed — PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE — leave granted to further amend summons clarifying civil enforcement claims | NSWLEC | 14 Feb 2023 |
| Jon Garling v Northern Beaches Council [2022] NSWLEC 102 CIVIL PROCEDURE: urgent application for joinder in Class 1 appeal – applicable legal principles – whether issues sought to be raised by intervenor would be sufficiently addressed absent a contradiction – delay in bringing application for joinder – whether Commissioner should have regard to previous Class 4 consent orders and their alleged non-compliance in the Class 1 appeal – issues raised by intervenor would be either raised by the parties in their contentions or able to be dealt with by the i | NSWLEC | 5 Aug 2022 |
| May v Northern Beaches Council and Anor [2022] NSWLEC 154 PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE — Notices of motion — Leave for application to rely upon amended summons granted — Notices of motion otherwise withdrawn and dismissed | NSWLEC | 13 Apr 2022 |
| Platform Architects Pty Ltd v Northern Beaches Council [2020] NSWLEC 185 ENVIRONMENT AND PLANNING – development application – boarding house – appeal against refusal of application – whether development is a dwelling – housing density standard – low intensity, low impact use development – development application is consistent with desired future character statement – variations to standards approved subject to conditions | NSWLEC | 20 Jan 2021 |
| Salama v Northern Beaches Council [2020] NSWLEC 143 MERITS APPEAL – appeal against refusal of modification of development consent for coastal protection works seeking deletion of time limiting condition of 60 years – appeal dismissed | NSWLEC | 9 Oct 2020 |
| Northern Beaches Council v Tolucy Pty Ltd [2020] NSWLEC 76 APPEAL - appeal against Commissioner’s | NSWLEC | 3 Aug 2020 |
| Northern Beaches Council v Tolucy Pty Ltd [2019] NSWLEC 151 ENVIRONMENT AND PLANNING – Land and Environment Court – practice and procedure – time for 56A appeal – extension of time – exercise of discretion – leave granted | NSWLEC | 23 Oct 2019 |
| Whittaker v Northern Beaches Council (No 3) [2018] NSWLEC 143 SEPARATE QUESTION: whether proposed development is permissible with consent or is prohibited – applicable principles of construction of an environmental planning instrument – meaning of “geotechnical hazard” and “natural hazard” – whether the term “geotechnical hazard” is a “like description” for “natural hazard” – held it is not – development permissible with consent. | NSWLEC | 14 Sept 2018 |
| Whittaker v Northern Beaches Council (No 2) [2018] NSWLEC 94 NOTICE OF MOTION – whether a separate question should be ordered – applicable legal principles – whether State Environmental Planning Policy (Housing for Seniors or People with a Disability) 2004 applies to the subject site – whether appropriate to be resolved as a separate question | NSWLEC | 20 June 2018 |
| Royal Motor Yacht Club (Broken Bay) Pty Ltd v Northern Beaches Council [2017] NSWLEC 56 APPEAL – expansion of existing marina – prohibited development in expansion area – existing use – whether use for a lawful purpose – whether existing use of swing moorings unlawful – provision of environmental planning instrument prohibited erection of building below high water mark – whether swing moorings installed | NSWLEC | 12 May 2017 |
| Luxe Manly Pty Limited v Northern Beaches Council [2016] NSWLEC 156 APPEAL: s 56A appeal from a Commissioner’s decision – “amber light” approach to Class 1 appeals – procedural fairness – appeal dismissed | NSWLEC | 9 Dec 2016 |
| Royal Motor Yacht Club (Broken Bay) Pty Ltd v Northern Beaches Council (No 4) [2016] NSWLEC 126 SEPARATE QUESTION: whether Court should order the hearing of separate question about existing use rights – applicable legal principles – application dismissed. | NSWLEC | 22 Sept 2016 |
| Royal Motor Yacht Club (Broken Bay) Pty Ltd v Northern Beaches Council (No 3) [2016] NSWLEC 114 PROCEDURE: third application to vacate hearing dates – whether vacation required due to breach by applicant of timetable – whether order for a separate question ought to be set aside as no longer appropriate in all the circumstances – duty of candour to a court in ex parte applications – whether applicant to pay the costs of the first and third vacation applications. | NSWLEC | 2 Sept 2016 |
| Royal Motor Yacht Club (Broken Bay) Pty Ltd v Northern Beaches Council (No 2) [2016] NSWLEC 110 PROCEDURE: application to vacate hearing dates of separate question hearing – inadequate reasons given for the breach of timetable necessitating the hearing dates to be vacated – application dismissed. | NSWLEC | 26 Aug 2016 |
| Warriewood Vale Pty Ltd v Northern Beaches Council [2016] NSWLEC 77 PROCEDURE – application for joinder as party in Class 1 proceedings by owner of adjoining land – operation of density provisions in Pittwater Local Environmental Plan | NSWLEC | 17 June 2016 |
Discovery signals matched on council name. We link to the public judgment; we do not reproduce its text.
How these numbers are computed
- Development applications are counted directly from the development application register over the trailing 12 months, grouped by their current canonical status. The full list is on the applications page.