Concrete North Shore
Shale clay ridges over sandstone gullies
The North Shore runs along shale-capped ridges with sandstone gullies falling away on either side. Homes on the ridge tops sit on clay, while blocks that slope towards the gullies hit sandstone, sometimes within a few hundred millimetres of the surface. Sloping driveways need careful levels, step-downs and often a pump because the truck can't get close to the pour. Large established trees are common, and councils such as Ku-ring-gai protect them, so excavation near tree roots has to be planned before any concrete is quoted.
Concrete prices on the North Shore
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) | outer zone (+$220) |
|---|---|---|
| Broom finish, level site | $8,100–$8,800 | $8,300–$9,000 |
| Exposed aggregate, level site | $9,850–$10,550 | $10,000–$10,700 |
| Replacing an old concrete driveway | $11,300–$14,250 | $11,500–$14,400 |
| Sloping site, 100–300mm cut, pump | $11,500–$13,900 | $11,650–$14,100 |
Estimates only, confirmed at a free site inspection.
What to plan for on the North Shore
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.
Protected trees
Your council protects significant trees, and roots under a driveway are a common cause of cracking. We check root zones before digging, and may need to adjust levels or joint placement rather than cut major roots.
Sloping driveways
Levels have to be set at the kerb, the garage and every change of grade so cars don't scrape. Expect a cut at the top or fill at the bottom, and a pump if the truck can't park within 4–5 metres of the pour.
Councils in this area: Hornsby Shire Council, Ku-ring-gai Council, Lane Cove Council, Mosman Council, North Sydney Council, Willoughby City Council. Each approves driveway crossings on its own footpaths and sets the levels they must match.
Council driveway and setback rules on the North Shore
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.
Willoughby City Council
Willoughby Vehicle Crossing Guidelines
Crossing & approvals
Crossings are 3.0m wide for a single garage or space; for a double garage the width is minimised, up to 5.0m maximum. Single dwellings get one crossing.
Willoughby Vehicle Crossing GuidelinesCrossing & approvals
Crossings sit at least 600mm off the side boundary, 1.0m from power poles and stormwater pits, and 2m from street trees. Council won't remove a street tree for a crossing except in exceptional circumstances.
Willoughby Vehicle Crossing Guidelines, Location; Street TreesCrossing & approvals
The footpath section must fall no more than 2.5% away from the boundary; where there's no footpath, that grade is kept where one would be built (1.2m wide, 600mm off the boundary). Grades are checked with council's scrape template.
Willoughby Vehicle Crossing Guidelines, GradesCrossing & approvals
In heritage conservation areas, crossings that harm the streetscape aren't permitted other than from rear lanes.
Willoughby Vehicle Crossing Guidelines, Number of CrossingsConcrete finish
The crossing must be built in plain concrete with a broom finish, at right angles to the kerb, with no splays between the layback and the boundary.
Willoughby Vehicle Crossing Guidelines, Other requirements
Ku-ring-gai Council
Ku-ring-gai DCP, Part 4 Dwelling Houses
Crossing & approvals
Properties with a street frontage under 18m get one driveway; frontages over 18m can have up to two. The crossing can be no wider than 3.5m at the front boundary, narrower where trees would be affected.
Ku-ring-gai DCP Part 4, 4B.2 Driveways (3)–(5)Driveway
Driveways and crossings must minimise disturbance, including changed soil levels, in the tree protection zones of protected trees. Porous driveways, runoff onto garden beds and planting strips down the centre are encouraged.
Ku-ring-gai DCP Part 4, 4B.2 Driveways (6), (8)Garages & parking
Parking must sit at or behind the required front setback, and any garage or carport visible from the street can be no wider than 6m.
Ku-ring-gai DCP Part 4, 4B.3 (1), (6)Front setback
Minimum front setbacks are 9m on the low side of the street and 12m on the high side; two-storey houses must also average 11m (low side) or 14m (high side) across at least 75% of the front.
Ku-ring-gai DCP Part 4, 4A.2 (3), (5)Excavation
Basement garages are only allowed on sloping land, and only where the driveway needs no more than 1m of excavation.
Ku-ring-gai DCP Part 4, 4B.3 (7)
Hornsby Shire Council
Hornsby DCP 2024, Part 3 Residential (amended 23 June 2025)
Driveway
Car parking goes behind the front building line, reached by a paved driveway set at least 0.5m off the side boundaries to leave room for landscaping.
Hornsby DCP 2024, 3.1.7 (a)–(c)Garages & parking
Garage doors must be set back 1m from the front of the house, no wider than 6m and no higher than 2.4m.
Hornsby DCP 2024, 3.1.5 (f)Front setback
Minimum front setback is 6m to local roads and 9m to designated roads; where the street already has setbacks of 7.6m or more, you may need to match them.
Hornsby DCP 2024, Table 3.1.2-aFrontage
For dual occupancies, combined garage doors facing the street are limited to 6m on 16–20m wide lots, 9m on 20–25m lots and 12m on lots over 25m, each door a single 3m opening.
Hornsby DCP 2024, 3.1.5 (f)
Mosman Council
Mosman Residential DCP 2012 (amended August 2026)
Crossing & approvals
Vehicle crossings should be no more than 3m wide unless that would make access unsafe, and parking and driveway design must preserve mature and significant trees on the site and in the street.
Mosman Residential DCP 2012, 5.10 P1–P2Crossing & approvals
Sites fronting Spit Road or Military Road should get vehicle access from another road or lane.
Mosman Residential DCP 2012, 5.10 P4Garages & parking
Garages and carports can be no wider than 40% of the block frontage or 6m (whichever is less); forward of the building line the limit is 40% or 3m. In heritage conservation areas a single carport in front is only allowed in exceptional cases, up to 3m or 20% of the frontage.
Mosman Residential DCP 2012, Carports and garagesFront setback
In a street with an established pattern, new buildings should be set back a similar distance to their neighbours.
Mosman Residential DCP 2012, Streetscape P3Front garden
Hard surfaces should be minimised in the front setback, with enough garden to offset car parking and driveways.
Mosman Residential DCP 2012, P16–P17
North Sydney Council
North Sydney DCP 2025 (in effect from 22 September 2025)
Crossing & approvals
A Vehicle Access Application must be approved before creating a driveway, replacing or improving an existing crossing, or opening any footpath or grass verge. An existing parking space without a formal gutter crossing also needs approval, and possibly development consent, to get one.
North Sydney Council: vehicle access applicationsGarages & parking
In many of the North Sydney planning area's character areas, garages and carports must not sit in front of the building line and should go at the rear of the property.
North Sydney DCP 2025, Part F Section 2, car accommodation controlsGarages & parking
Where parking can only go on a laneway boundary, only open spaces or carports are allowed (no roller doors), and parking can take up no more than 50% of the lane frontage.
North Sydney DCP 2025, Part E Section 1, laneway controls P5–P6Front setback
The front setback must match the front façades of the adjoining buildings; where they differ, use the average.
North Sydney DCP 2025, Part E Section 1, Front P1
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 on the North Shore
Artarmon 2064
Willoughby City Council
Artarmon is mainly Federation and inter-war bungalows, with a heritage conservation area covering much of the residential part. The suburb sits on the ridge, so most blocks are on clay rather than rock.
Chatswood 2067
Willoughby City Council
Chatswood has a high-rise centre surrounded by older homes, some in heritage conservation areas. Driveway replacements on established houses and strata courtyard work near the centre are both common here.
Gordon 2072
Ku-ring-gai Council
Gordon has large Federation and inter-war homes on big, leafy blocks that slope away from the Pacific Highway ridge. Ku-ring-gai Council protects significant trees, so excavation near roots is planned before we quote.
Hornsby 2077
Hornsby Shire Council
Hornsby has apartments around the town centre and sloping sandstone blocks towards the bushland gullies. Steep driveways, rock and pump access are typical on the residential streets.
Killara 2071
Ku-ring-gai Council
Killara is large homes on wide blocks with established gardens and several heritage conservation areas. Long driveways and protected trees are the main things to plan around.
Lane Cove 2066
Lane Cove Council
Lane Cove falls from the ridge towards the Lane Cove River and its bushland, so many blocks slope and sit on sandstone. Cut driveways, rock removal and step-downs are common, along with tree protection on bush-edge lots.
Lindfield 2070
Ku-ring-gai Council
Lindfield's large homes sit on leafy blocks east and west of the railway ridge, with land sloping into bush gullies. Tree protection and slope are the two factors that shape most driveway quotes.
Mosman 2088
Mosman Council
Mosman's harbourside streets are steep sandstone with narrow driveways, and several heritage conservation areas. Rock excavation, steep grades and pumping from the street are all common, and finishes are often exposed aggregate or decorative.
Neutral Bay 2089
North Sydney Council
Neutral Bay mixes apartment blocks with semis and houses on streets falling steeply to the harbour. Short, steep driveways and limited parking for the truck mean most pours need a pump.
North Sydney 2060
North Sydney Council
North Sydney combines the commercial centre with terraces and cottages in pockets such as McMahons Point and Lavender Bay, on sandstone falling to the harbour. Jobs are mostly courtyards and strata areas with tight access.
Pymble 2073
Ku-ring-gai Council
Pymble has large homes on big blocks, many sloping towards bushland. Long, sloping driveways and protected trees are the norm, so levels and root protection are worked out on site before pricing.
St Leonards 2065
Lane Cove, North Sydney or Willoughby Council, depending on the street
St Leonards is mostly high-density apartments around the station, with three councils meeting here. Concrete work is largely strata courtyards and common areas, done with owners corporation approval.
Turramurra 2074
Ku-ring-gai Council
Turramurra's homes sit on large blocks on the edge of Ku-ring-gai Chase and Lane Cove bushland. Sloping sites, sandstone near the surface and protected trees all affect driveway work here.
Wahroonga 2076
Ku-ring-gai Council (parts in Hornsby Shire)
Wahroonga is known for large heritage homes on big blocks with long driveways and mature trees. Several heritage conservation areas apply, and long pours make truck access and pump placement part of the plan.
Get a quote for your job on the North Shore
Call us or use the calculator for an instant estimate, then we'll confirm it at a free site inspection.