Concrete Inner West
Reactive clay from Ashfield shale
Much of the Inner West sits on clay weathered from Ashfield shale, the rock the suburb gave its name to. These clays swell when wet and shrink in dry spells, which is what cracks old driveways and lifts paths beside trees. A concrete job here needs a well-compacted base, mesh placed at the right height and control joints close enough together to let the slab move without cracking at random. Older streets also mean original concrete and pavers to break out first, and heritage controls in several conservation areas can limit what you can do at the front of the house.
Concrete prices in the Inner West
From our calculator: N25 concrete, SL72 mesh, good truck access, GST included. Suburbs further from the CBD carry a delivery surcharge per load.
| 40m² driveway | metro zone (+$85) |
|---|---|
| Broom finish, level site | $8,100–$8,800 |
| Exposed aggregate, level site | $9,850–$10,550 |
| Replacing an old concrete driveway | $11,300–$14,250 |
| Sloping site, 100–300mm cut, pump | $11,500–$13,900 |
Estimates only, confirmed at a free site inspection.
What to plan for in the Inner West
Heritage conservation areas
In a heritage conservation area, your council can require approval to change a front driveway, path or fence. Plain, broom or exposed aggregate finishes in muted tones are usually easier to get approved than bright colours or stamped patterns.
Strata approval
Work on common property needs owners corporation approval, and building managers often ask for the contractor's insurance certificates and a work method statement. Start that early: it's usually the longest lead time on a strata job.
Low-lying and flood-affected land
Parts of the suburb are low-lying. Garage and driveway levels may need to sit at or above a flood level set by council, and every slab needs falls that carry water away from the house.
Access through the house or lane
With no side passage, concrete has to be barrowed or pumped in from the street or rear lane. A line pump (from $950) usually costs less than the extra hours of barrowing and gives a better finish, because the whole slab is placed before it starts to set.
Councils in this area: Burwood Council, Canterbury-Bankstown Council, City of Canada Bay, Inner West Council, Strathfield Municipal Council. Each approves driveway crossings on its own footpaths and sets the levels they must match.
Council driveway and setback rules in the Inner West
Each council sets its own rules for crossings, driveway widths, finishes, garages and front setbacks. Summarised from their own documents, with every rule linked to its source.
Inner West Council (former Ashfield area)
Comprehensive Inner West DCP 2016 (former Ashfield area, Inner West Council)
Crossing & approvals
Existing street trees aren't removed to make way for a driveway to a house, and crossover width at the boundary must meet council's engineering standards.
Comprehensive Inner West DCP 2016, Chapter F Part 1, DS6.7–DS6.8Driveway
A car space between the front boundary and the house is only considered if it has no roof, can't go elsewhere on the site, uses a paving surface that suits the street, and leaves enough front garden.
Comprehensive Inner West DCP 2016, Chapter F Part 1, DS6.4Garages & parking
Garages and carports must be set back at least 1m behind the front building line of the house.
Comprehensive Inner West DCP 2016, Chapter F Part 1, DS6.3Garages & parking
Basement garages and driveway ramps visible from the street are not supported.
Comprehensive Inner West DCP 2016, Chapter F Part 1, DS6.6Front setback
Front setbacks must follow the building line set by adjoining and nearby houses, and leave a front garden big enough for planting; side setbacks are generally at least 900mm for houses.
Comprehensive Inner West DCP 2016, Chapter F Part 1, DS4.1–DS4.4
Burwood Council
Burwood DCP and Works on Council's Road Reserve Assets Policy
Crossing & approvals
A vehicle crossing can't be approved if the house is less than 5.5m from the front boundary, and the driveway must be at least 6m from an intersection.
Burwood Road Reserve Assets Policy, Vehicular CrossingsCrossing & approvals
Domestic crossings are 3m to 6m wide, one per allotment (a second needs a DA), at least 2m clear of street trees and clear of stormwater pits, power poles, Telstra pits and water mains. The owner pays for construction and maintenance.
Burwood Road Reserve Assets Policy, Vehicular CrossingsCrossing & approvals
On heritage-listed properties or in a heritage conservation area, a new car space, crossing or carport needs a DA and may not be permitted.
Burwood Road Reserve Assets Policy, Vehicular CrossingsGarages & parking
Side or rear access must be used first; only single carports are ever allowed forward of the building line, never double carports or garages.
Burwood Road Reserve Assets Policy, Vehicular CrossingsGarages & parking
Only single-width garage doors may face the street (wide blocks excepted), and garage openings can take up no more than 40% of the front of the house.
Burwood DCP, 4.5 P25Front setback
Single-storey houses follow the average of the existing building line nearby; the second storey must be set back 9m from the front.
Burwood DCP, 4.5 Table 3
Canterbury-Bankstown Council
Canterbury-Bankstown DCP 2023 and Development Engineering Standards Guide (Aug 2024)
Crossing & approvals
A new vehicular footway crossing needs a council work permit, which sets its geometry and construction, and its location must comply with AS 2890.1.
CB Engineering Standards Guide, 4.9Crossing & approvals
New crossings must be 2m clear of any street tree trunk, and any approved tree removal must be paid for and replaced by the owner.
CB Engineering Standards Guide, 4.12Crossing & approvals
Crossings are sized and placed to keep as much on-street parking as possible. If one clashes with a council stormwater pit, the owner pays to rebuild the pit clear of the crossing.
CB Engineering Standards Guide, 4.10Excavation
Cut or fill deeper than 500mm must be done under the supervision of a NATA-registered geotechnical consultant, with compaction testing certified and submitted to council.
CB Engineering Standards Guide, 4.5
City of Canada Bay
City of Canada Bay DCP and driveway works process
Crossing & approvals
Driveway work between your boundary and the kerb needs two separate approvals: first written consent for the location, then a 'Vehicular Crossing Construction by Private Contractor' application lodged no sooner than one month before work starts.
City of Canada Bay: driveway and ancillary worksCrossing & approvals
A DA for your house doesn't cover the crossing, and repairing or replacing an existing crossover also needs council approval.
City of Canada Bay: driveway application FAQCrossing & approvals
On State roads, including Victoria Road and Bayswater, Westbourne and Marlborough Streets in Drummoyne, layback and kerb works also need plans approved by Transport for NSW.
City of Canada Bay: driveway application FAQDriveway
A new or extended hardstand car space (or carport) in the front setback needs development approval.
City of Canada Bay: driveway and ancillary works
Inner West Council (former Leichhardt area)
Leichhardt DCP 2013 (Inner West Council)
Crossing & approvals
Only one single-width crossover is allowed per dwelling; double-width crossovers aren't permitted for single residential properties, and in some heritage-sensitive streets a new crossing won't be supported at all.
Leichhardt DCP 2013, C1.11 ParkingCrossing & approvals
Removing a street tree to fit a crossover is generally not supported, and new crossings should be clear of tree trunks.
Leichhardt DCP 2013, C1.11 ParkingDriveway
If the site has a rear lane, parking must be reached from the lane. Access from the main street frontage won't be supported.
Leichhardt DCP 2013, C1.11 Parking (residential)Driveway
Without a rear lane, street-front parking is only allowed if it sits wholly behind the front wall of the house, is a single-width space with one access point, and the crossing plus parking space is less than 50% of the width of the front of the house.
Leichhardt DCP 2013, C1.11 Parking (residential)Front setback
New buildings must sit within the Building Location Zone, which is set by the main buildings on the neighbouring properties, floor by floor.
Leichhardt DCP 2013, Part C Section 3, C3–C4
Inner West Council (former Marrickville area)
Marrickville DCP 2011 (Inner West Council)
Crossing & approvals
For dwelling houses, new vehicle crossings are generally not permitted, to protect on-street parking, footpaths, kerbs, street trees and nature strips.
Marrickville DCP 2011, 4.1.7.4 C26Driveway
Large expanses of concrete driveway are not permitted, and driveways must be designed to let stormwater soak in on site, for example sealed wheel strips with a grass strip down the middle.
Marrickville DCP 2011, 4.1.7.4 C27, C30Driveway
Where parking can't go at the side or rear, council may in limited cases allow a semi-pervious hardstand in front of the house, 600mm clear of the side fence, if it doesn't significantly affect the front garden.
Marrickville DCP 2011, 4.1.7 C18Garages & parking
Garages and carports forward of the building line are not permitted. Parking goes at the rear off a lane, or beside the house behind the front building line where that's the pattern in the street.
Marrickville DCP 2011, 4.1.7 C15, C17Front setback
Front setbacks must match the adjoining houses or the dominant setback along the street.
Marrickville DCP 2011, 4.1.6 C10
Strathfield Municipal Council
Strathfield Consolidated DCP 2005, Part A Dwelling Houses
Crossing & approvals
One vehicle crossing per property (corner blocks may get one per frontage). The crossing edge must be 1m clear of stormwater pits and poles and 2m clear of street tree trunks.
Strathfield DCP 2005 Part A, 8.2.1(3), (5)Crossing & approvals
Existing driveways must be reused unless moving them improves solar access, doesn't affect neighbours, street trees, services, on-street parking or heritage, and is safe. Where there's a rear lane or second street, access must come from there.
Strathfield DCP 2005 Part A, 8.2.1(1), (8)Concrete finish
Concrete visible from the street, driveways included, must be kept to a minimum and coloured charcoal, grey or brown. The crossing outside the boundary must be plain natural concrete: coloured or custom finishes aren't permitted there.
Strathfield DCP 2005 Part A, 8.2.1(12)–(13)Driveway
Driveways are 3m wide at the property boundary, set at least 0.5m off side boundaries for landscaping, and designed to avoid a long straight look.
Strathfield DCP 2005 Part A, 8.2.1(2), (9)–(10)Front setback
The minimum front setback is 9m, though less may be accepted where the street's predominant setback is smaller or the existing house already sits closer.
Strathfield DCP 2005 Part A, 4.2.3.1
Rules that apply anywhere in NSW
A driveway, hardstand or paving on your own land is exempt from planning approval only if it isn't in a heritage conservation area, on a heritage item, in a foreshore or environmentally sensitive area, drains to an existing stormwater system, and is built to AS/NZS 2890.1. Otherwise it needs a DA or CDC.
NSW Codes SEPP, exempt development: driveways, pathways and pavingAnything built on or over the footpath or road, including the vehicle crossing and layback, needs approval from the council (or Transport for NSW on State roads) under the Roads Act 1993, even when the work on your land is exempt or already approved.
NSW Codes SEPP, exempt development: driveways, pathways and pavingDriveway grades follow AS/NZS 2890.1: generally no steeper than 25% (1 in 4) within the property, and any change in grade over 12.5% (1 in 8) needs a transition, usually about 2m long, so cars don't scrape.
AS/NZS 2890.1, as applied in Hunters Hill Council's driveway specification
Checked October 2026. Councils update their controls and site-specific controls can apply, so confirm with council or your certifier before you build.
Suburbs we cover in the Inner West
Ashfield 2131
Inner West Council
Ashfield gave its name to the Ashfield shale beneath it, and the reactive clay above that shale moves with the seasons. Federation homes with original driveways are common, along with apartments near the station.
Burwood 2134
Burwood Council
Burwood has a high-rise centre surrounded by Federation and inter-war homes on wide blocks. The clay soils here move, so replacing heaved or cracked driveways is the most common job.
Canterbury 2193
Canterbury-Bankstown Council
Canterbury runs along the Cooks River, with inter-war bungalows on the higher ground and low-lying streets near the river that are flood-affected. Driveway levels and falls need to keep water out of garages on the lower blocks.
Croydon 2132
Burwood Council or Inner West Council, depending on the street
Croydon is Federation and Queen Anne homes on generous blocks, with heritage conservation areas across much of the suburb. Long side driveways are common, and front-of-house work in a conservation area can need council approval.
Drummoyne 2047
City of Canada Bay
Drummoyne is a peninsula with homes on sandstone falling to the Parramatta River and Iron Cove. Waterfront and sloping blocks often mean rock excavation, step-downs and a pump to reach the pour.
Haberfield 2045
Inner West Council
The whole of Haberfield is a heritage conservation area, built as a planned Federation suburb. Changes to front driveways, paths and fences are controlled, so finishes and layouts need to suit the street before work is booked.
Leichhardt 2040
Inner West Council
Leichhardt is Victorian and Federation terraces and cottages, many with rear-lane access and some in heritage conservation areas. Courtyards and lane parking pads are typical jobs, usually with old concrete to break out first.
Marrickville 2204
Inner West Council
Marrickville mixes terraces, semis and cottages, with low-lying, flood-affected streets towards the Cooks River. Getting falls right and keeping slabs clear of the house's damp course matters on those lower blocks.
Strathfield 2135
Strathfield Municipal Council
Strathfield is known for large Federation homes on wide, tree-lined blocks, with several heritage conservation areas. Long driveways on reactive clay, and tree roots near them, are the usual reasons for cracking and replacement.
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