Land Clearing Central Coast, New South Wales
Local Tree Removal Gosford provides land clearing on the Central Coast for building sites, driveways, acreage and fire hazard reduction, including tree removal, stump grinding and selective clearing. This page explains which approval pathway a clearing job falls under, because that decides what has to happen before any work starts.
Four Pathways, Decided By Your Land
There isn’t one set of land clearing rules on the Central Coast. Which one applies depends on the zoning of your land, whether a development consent already covers the clearing, and how much native vegetation is involved.
Residential, village, business and industrial land
Zones such as R1, R2, R3, R5 and RU5, and business and industrial zones, fall under Central Coast Council’s Chapter 3.5. All vegetation is protected unless an exemption applies, and otherwise a council permit is needed.
Rural zones and deferred land
Chapter 3.5 doesn’t apply in rural zones such as RU1, RU2, RU3 and RU6, or on land still zoned under the old Gosford Planning Scheme Ordinance (1968) or Gosford IDO No. 122. Clearing there is regulated under the Local Land Services Act. Local Land Services Greater Sydney: 1300 795 299.
Land with a development consent
Council’s tree chapter doesn’t apply to vegetation removal authorised by a development consent. Read the consent conditions to see which trees they cover, and which they don’t.
Mapped or large-scale clearing
If the land is on the Biodiversity Values Map, or the clearing exceeds the Biodiversity Offsets Scheme threshold, council’s permits don’t apply. Approval comes from the Native Vegetation Panel instead, or through a Biodiversity Development Assessment Report.
If you aren’t sure which pathway your block is in, council can tell you your zoning on 02 4306 7900. For rural land, Local Land Services decides whether clearing needs its approval. The NSW Government’s native vegetation guide treats RU1, RU2, RU3, RU4, RU6 and deferred matter land as rural-zoned for this purpose.
How Big The Job Is Decides What Applies
For land under council’s Chapter 3.5, the number of trees and the area cleared set the permit type, and a separate area test decides whether council can decide it at all.
| What you’re clearing | What applies |
|---|---|
| Up to five individual trees, or up to 100 m² of vegetation | Minor Vegetation Works Permit, unless an exemption covers the work. |
| Six or more trees, or more than 100 m², under the offsets threshold | Major Vegetation Works Permit. It needs a statement that the clearing doesn’t exceed the threshold, plus an ecological assessment report. |
| Lot under 1 ha: 0.25 ha or more of native vegetation | Exceeds the Biodiversity Offsets Scheme threshold. |
| Lot of 1 ha to under 40 ha: 0.5 ha or more | Exceeds the threshold. |
| Lot of 40 ha to under 1,000 ha: 1 ha or more | Exceeds the threshold. |
| Any area, on land on the Biodiversity Values Map | Exceeds the threshold. Approval comes from the Native Vegetation Panel, or a Biodiversity Development Assessment Report is needed. |
Clearing for a bushfire asset protection zone counts toward the threshold. Council’s chapter says the area cleared includes clearing for ancillary structures and bushfire asset protection zones, and it is the total area across all lots involved. A building site that looks small can reach the threshold once those are added. The “minimum lot size” in the table is the one set by the Local Environmental Plan, or the actual lot size if none is set.
Fire Hazard Clearing Is A Separate Question
Clearing for fire safety around a home is a different pathway again. In a mapped 10/50 entitlement area, trees within 10 m of a home can be cleared under the RFS code without council approval. The map and exclusions change, so check the RFS tool on the day you clear. Details are on our home page.
Before You Book A Clearing Job
- Find your zoning, and note whether the land is deferred matter land or zoned under the old Gosford instruments.
- Check the Biodiversity Values Map for your lot. The NSW Government also provides an online Biodiversity Offset Scheme Entry Tool (BOSET) to test whether a clearing area crosses the threshold.
- Count the trees and estimate the area, including any asset protection zone or ancillary structures.
- Have the species identified before anyone cuts. Threatened species and habitat trees for threatened fauna are excluded from council’s exemptions. Our arborist page explains the evidence council asks for.
- Read the development consent if there is one, and note which trees it lets you remove.
- Decide what happens to stumps, since they’re often part of the same job. See stump grinding, and for individual trees outside a clearing area, see tree removal and tree cutting.
Get your tree looked at
Tell us where the block is, roughly how many trees are involved and what you want the land used for. A development consent, if you have one, is worth mentioning.