In September 2026, the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure published its Explanation of Intended Effect (EIE) for the Edgecliff-Woollahra Precinct. The EIE proposes rezoning across a 168-hectare precinct to facilitate approximately 9,400 new homes, 1,000 new jobs, and up to 121 metre building heights on identified Key Sites.
This is a documented proposal now, not a speculative one. Owners can assess their site against the proposed zone, height, FSR, Key Site status and other factors that apply to them.
The Edgecliff-Woollahra Precinct rezoning represents the most significant planning shift for the Eastern Suburbs in decades. With the Explanation of Intended Effect (EIE) now published, the State is proposing to complete the long-dormant Woollahra Station on the T4 Eastern Suburbs Line and introduce a coordinated set of new zones, heights and floor space ratios across 168 hectares from Edgecliff through to Woollahra and Bondi Junction.
For owners, the question is no longer whether the rezoning is happening, but what the rezoning means for the value of your home.
Owners who understand their planning position early will be better placed to garner developer interest, coordinate with neighbouring owners and act before the market becomes crowded with competing opportunities.
The Explanation of Intended Effect supporting technical studies, statutory maps and Design Guide are available on the NSW Planning Portal's Edgecliff-Woollahra page, alongside the NSW Government's original project announcement.
The EIE is the formal document that sets out the proposed amendments to the Woollahra Local Environmental Plan 2014. It is implemented through a self-repealing State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP) made under Section 3.29(1) of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979. It is the live statutory proposal on the table, and it supersedes Woollahra Council's earlier endorsed alternate approach as the framework the rezoning will now progress from.
The Rezoning Proposal is designed to deliver approximately 9,400 new homes and 1,000 new local jobs, affordable housing contributions of 3 to 15 percent in perpetuity, 3.5 hectares of new, extended and embellished public open space including 7 new parks, 6 embellished existing parks and 1 new civic space, new community facilities and shops, and 9 kilometres of new walking and cycling infrastructure. Delivery is anchored to the completion of Woollahra Station on the T4 Eastern Suburbs Line, with a direct 8-minute rail connection to the Sydney CBD.
Four zones are proposed across the Precinct: MU1 Mixed Use, R4 High Density Residential (introduced into the Woollahra LEP for the first time), E1 Local Centre and SP2 Infrastructure. Maximum building heights are proposed to rise from the current 5 to 34 metre range (approximately 1 to 12 storeys) up to a maximum of 121 metres (approximately 34 storeys) on identified Key Sites. Maximum Floor Space Ratios are proposed to rise from the current 0.5:1 to 2.5:1 range up to 1.1:1 to 9:1. Concentrated high-density built form is proposed closest to the two stations and along the ridge line, stepping down to mid-rise typologies at heritage interfaces and schools.
The Rezoning Proposal introduces Key Site provisions into the Woollahra LEP. Incentive heights and FSRs on Key Sites are only accessible where the site delivers specified public benefits, which may include lot amalgamation, publicly accessible open space, community facilities, through-site links, road and public domain upgrades, station access improvements, or resolution of site-specific constraints such as flooding. Where Key Site requirements are not achieved, the existing planning controls continue to apply.
A minimum lot size of 900 square metres applies to residential flat buildings in R4 zoned land, and small-scale non-residential uses such as shops, cafes, restaurants and business premises are permitted within R4 to activate the new density areas.
A base affordable housing contribution of 3 percent in perpetuity is proposed for all new residential development, with certain sites subject to higher rates up to 15 percent as identified in Appendix F of the EIE.
Within 200 metres of Edgecliff Station, Bondi Junction Station and the proposed Woollahra Station, a dwelling mix control caps studios at 20 percent, 1 bedroom at 30 percent, 2 bedroom at 50 percent and 3 or more bedrooms at 20 percent of any development of six or more units.
A new transport project component of the Housing and Productivity Contribution (HPC) is proposed to apply to development within the 800 metre catchment of Woollahra Station, at $15,000 per new dwelling and $200 per square metre of new commercial GFA, in addition to the base HPC. In-fill affordable housing bonuses under Chapter 2, Part 2, Division 1 of the SEPP (Housing) 2021 are proposed to be switched off within the Precinct, and the Low and Mid-Rise (LMR) Housing Policy will be amended to remove LMR provisions from sites included in the Rezoning Proposal (LMR remains in effect only for non-change sites within the Precinct boundary).
The Precinct contains 7 State heritage items, over 200 local heritage items and 3 heritage conservation areas, all of which are retained under the proposal. A new Edgecliff-Woollahra Precinct Design Guide will be given statutory weight through the Woollahra LEP and will apply to all local and State Significant Development applications.
On 17 August 2026, roughly a month before the State published its Explanation of Intended Effect, Woollahra Council's Strategic and Corporate Committee considered a staff report titled Evidence-Based Planning for Growth and endorsed a Council-prepared alternate approach to the State-led rezoning. Council's report concluded that the NSW Government's original dwelling target significantly exceeded what the Precinct can realistically support once transport capacity, social infrastructure, heritage constraints, open space and market demand are considered together.
The September 2026 EIE has since confirmed the State's proposal at approximately 9,400 homes across 168 hectares, keeping the two frameworks materially apart. With the EIE now the live statutory proposal, Council's alternate approach effectively becomes Council's formal submission into the exhibition process: a documented, evidence-backed counter-position that the Department is required to consider (alongside industry and community submissions) before finalising the Rezoning Proposal.
For owners, this matters directly. The EIE is the starting point for what happens next, but the range between the State's approximately 9,400-dwelling framework and Council's approximately 3,600-dwelling position defines the plausible upside and downside for any specific Woollahra or Edgecliff site.
A property that attracts a strong developer premium under the State's proposed heights (up to 121 metres) and FSR (up to 9:1) on Key Sites will look different again if final controls move toward Council's position on transport capacity, heritage sensitivity or built-form scale.
The final height, FSR and Key Site scoping applied to any individual lot will depend on how the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure resolves Council, community and industry submissions through to the expected end-of-2027 finalisation.
In our experience advising owners through contested rezoning processes elsewhere in Sydney, this is exactly the period where an independent, evidence-based read of a site's realistic development potential protects owners from under-selling or over-anchoring on a number that never eventuates.
Council's staff report, titled Evidence-Based Planning for Growth: Council Staff Alternate Approach to the State-Led Rezoning of Parts of Edgecliff and Woollahra, was considered at the Strategic and Corporate Committee meeting of 17 August 2026 and is available through Woollahra Council's website.
The EIE is the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure's formal document, published September 2026, that sets out the proposed amendments to the Woollahra Local Environmental Plan 2014 for the 168-hectare Edgecliff-Woollahra Precinct.
It supersedes Woollahra Council's 17 August 2026 endorsed alternate approach as the framework moving forward.
The Rezoning Proposal applies to a 168-hectare precinct within the Woollahra Local Government Area, approximately 2.5 kilometres east of the Sydney CBD.
The Precinct is generally bounded by:
The Land Application Map in Appendix A of the EIE confirms exactly which lots are in and out. If your site is anywhere near those boundary streets, an independent read against the exhibited maps is worth doing.
The EIE and supporting documents are on public exhibition from Tuesday 8 September 2026 until 5pm on Wednesday 7 October 2026. Submissions are lodged through the NSW Planning Portal's Edgecliff-Woollahra page, and drop-in sessions are being held at The Lawns of Double Bay, organised by the eight-character areas within the precinct.
After exhibition closes, the Department analyses the feedback and makes a recommendation to the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, with finalisation expected in 2027. If your site is inside or near the boundary, or you are exposed to a Key Site listing, a considered submission is the only formal way to influence the controls that will apply. Chem Property can review the exhibited maps against your lot and help you decide what to raise.
Across the Precinct, the EIE proposes lifting maximum building heights from the current 5 to 34 metre range (approximately 1 to 12 storeys) up to a maximum of 121 metres (approximately 34 storeys). Maximum Floor Space Ratios move from the current 0.5:1 to 2.5:1 range up to 1.1:1 to 9:1.
The highest built form (roughly 30 to 34 storeys, and up to 9:1 FSR) is proposed on identified Key Sites concentrated closest to Woollahra Station and Edgecliff Station, and along the ridge line. In the Cliff Edge North sub-area, an additional 2 to 3 storeys of sub-basement levels are noted on the incentive height map to accommodate the topography. Mid-rise typologies (approximately 5 to 8 storeys) step down at heritage interfaces, schools and the Trumper Park edge to the west.
Those incentive heights and FSRs are only accessible where the site delivers the specific public benefits attached to its Key Site listing. Where those requirements are not met, the existing Woollahra LEP 2014 heights and FSRs continue to apply.
Four zones are proposed across the Precinct, applied deliberately by sub-area:
Small-scale non-residential uses (shops, cafes, restaurants, business premises) are permitted within R4 to activate the new density areas along Ocean Street, Wellington Street, Fullerton Road, Edgecliff Road, Queen Street and the Paddington Bowling Club frontage, subject to a maximum non-residential FSR.
Key Sites are lots identified in the EIE Key Sites Map (Appendix D) where the incentive building heights and FSRs are only accessible if the site delivers specified public benefits. If those benefits are not delivered, the existing Woollahra LEP controls continue to apply and the incentive uplift is off the table.
Public benefit requirements attached to specific Key Sites in the Precinct may include:
Whether your Woollahra or Edgecliff lot sits inside a Key Site boundary, which specific public benefit is required, and whether the site is subject to a higher affordable housing contribution will materially affect development potential and value.
Chem Property can position your site against the exhibited Key Sites Map so you can have a clear view of its value and what it takes to unlock it.
Heritage items and heritage conservation areas are directed to lower levels of development. In some locations, heritage items may form part of larger redevelopment sites, and the proposal seeks to retain those items (including through adaptive reuse) while directing new built form to adjoining land that is better able to accommodate change.
If your property is a heritage item or sits in a heritage conservation area, it is unlikely to attract the 121 metre / 9:1 upside directly. However, an adjoining or nearby non-heritage site may, which can materially affect neighbour discussions, amalgamation opportunities and the value of your site as part of a larger scheme. Owners of heritage properties in the Precinct still have a live decision to make.
A base affordable housing contribution of 3 percent in perpetuity is proposed for all new residential development within the Precinct, including mixed-use and State Significant Development.
Sites with substantial development uplift are proposed to attract higher rates, up to 15 percent in perpetuity, as identified in Appendix F of the EIE.
Contributions can be satisfied through floor space, dwellings or equivalent monetary contribution, and any affordable housing delivered under the scheme must be managed by a registered community housing provider. The in-fill affordable housing floor space ratio and height bonuses under Chapter 2, Part 2, Division 1 of the SEPP (Housing) 2021 are proposed to be switched off within the Precinct.
Almost all LMR sites receiving uplift through this Rezoning Proposal will get planning controls that exceed the LMR controls, and the Department will amend the LMR Housing Policy to remove the LMR provisions for sites included in the Rezoning Proposal.
LMR continues to apply only to non-change sites within the Precinct boundary where no change is proposed under this rezoning.
If your Woollahra site relies on the LMR pathway today, it is worth checking whether your lot is in the Rezoning Proposal (where LMR is switched off in favour of the proposed controls) or on a non-change site (where LMR continues to apply). The answer changes the strategy entirely.
The exhibition timeline runs roughly like this:
A state-led rezoning supported by a new station creates substantial development value uplift for well-positioned properties within the catchment. But it does so unevenly.
The value implication for any specific Woollahra or Edgecliff site is a function of:
The market has moved from speculation to a documented statutory proposal. Selling during exhibition means developers will price against the EIE's proposed zones, heights, FSRs and Key Site requirements for your specific lot, but with residual uncertainty until the SEPP is made (expected end of 2027) and until Council, industry and community submissions are resolved by the Department.
Selling after finalisation typically produces cleaner offers, but potentially also more competition as other Woollahra and Edgecliff owners go to market. That kind of simultaneous inventory push tends to compress values.
The current exhibition window remains a productive time for owners who want to test market appetite quietly, understand what their site might realistically be worth under the proposed controls, and position early. The right answer depends on your specific lot and the ownership group dynamic.
Developer approaches in the Precinct are already happening. They typically arrive well before, and continue during, formal exhibition, and they usually target either the site of interest directly or the neighbours needed to amalgamate around it.
Before engaging with any developer, or signing anything, get an independent assessment of your site's development potential under the proposed controls, understand whether Key Site incentive controls apply to your lot, and consider whether amalgamation with a neighbour would produce a materially better collective outcome. Chem Property can provide that assessment.
Very often, yes. Amalgamated sites in the Precinct attract materially stronger developer demand than isolated lots, and lot amalgamation is explicitly named in the EIE as one of the Key Site public benefits required to access incentive heights and FSRs.
The practical challenge is finding a willing neighbour, agreeing how to structure the process, and aligning on price and timing so no party is disadvantaged.
Chem Property specialises in exactly that: assessing amalgamation feasibility across specific Woollahra and Edgecliff blocks, modelling collective value against the proposed controls, and coordinating the owner alignment and sale process from first conversation to settlement.
Been approached by a developer, or wondering what your site is actually worth? Chem Property can assess your site against the proposed controls and current developer demand, and help determine whether amalgamation with a neighbouring property creates a stronger opportunity. Read our owner guides first, or start with a free site assessment.