Do I Need Council Approval To Replace An Existing Retaining Wall?
“Do we need council approvals if we are just replacing an existing retaining wall?” Is one of our most common questions we hear when quoting. It is assumed that you do not need council approvals to replace an existing retaining wall as the approvals and plans have previously been completed.
However in NSW, if you are replacing an existing retaining wall, you ARE expected to get new council approvals if your wall exceeds your local council area’s requirements. So the short answer is: YES, you certainly do.
In NSW you must have engineering and approvals for walls that exceed 600mm in height. If you are requiring some guidance on getting approvals and engineering, we recommend you check out one of our most recent blogs on the approval process. You can find this blog here:
Replacing a retaining wall may seem like a straightforward task. however there is a lot to take in to account:
-Are there any under ground services? If so, your new retaining wall will need to be engineered, so the materials being used will be suitable to support the structural integrity of the wall. This way we won’t affect any underground services to the property.
- Will the new wall be within 2 metres of an existing property or within 1 metre from any boundary, easement sewer or water main? If so, it is important to ensure you engage an engineer so the walls design considers the drainage situation for not only your property but your neighbours too. Disturbing the existing heights and drainage systems may cause detrimental damage to yours and your neighbours’ properties.
- Are you in a flood affected area? It is essential to receive an engineer professional advice for suitable materials to use in your area so they can stand the test of time. This way if flooding occurs you won’t need to worry about replacing the retaining wall a second time.
- Are you in a heritage listed area or environmentally sensitive area? It is important to respect the laws so that your new construction will not affect the original heritage of the home and land. Not to point out the fines in place if the council was informed you interrupted the heritage / environmentally sensitive area.
The first step we recommend is contacting your local council. They will inform you of the process as various councils may have different processes. Another point to mention includes new estates with setback rules which do not apply to other home estates - this is why we recommend speaking with council first. From here, you can engage a local structural engineer so you can get the ball rolling with your project!
We hope you have learnt something new in this week’s blog! Follow us on Instagram supreme_sandstone for more educational posts and project updates.
Please remember if you are constructing a sandstone retaining wall or using stone for other building projects, your retaining wall needs to be installed by a qualified licenced contractor. This is important so that your projects holds warranty, is built to code and will stand the test of time as mentioned above. You can look-up your contaractor using the following link:
https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/transaction/check-builder-or-tradesperson-licence