The exact wording councils used when refusing a development application, with the planning controls each ground was tested against. Read from the notices of determination themselves — every entry links back to the council record so you can verify it.
Georges River (268) Woollahra (226) Mosman (208) Camden (176) North Sydney (144) Waverley (119) Byron (110) Penrith (104) Randwick (97) Tweed (59) Liverpool (31) Blue Mountains (22) Sydney (20) Hornsby (17) Cumberland (16) Ku Ring Gai (8) Inner West (8) All grounds Building height, scale, bulk or massing Floor space ratio / gross floor area exceedance Setbacks or building envelope non-compliance Streetscape / neighbourhood character incompatibility Heritage item or conservation area impact Overshadowing / solar access loss to neighbours Privacy loss / overlooking of neighbours View loss / view sharing Noise or acoustic amenity impact Parking shortfall, traffic or vehicular access Landscaping deficiency or tree removal Stormwater, drainage or flooding Bushfire hazard / RFS requirements Land contamination (SEPP Resilience/55) Biodiversity, native vegetation or ecology Clause 4.6 variation request not justified Land use prohibited / not permissible in zone Insufficient information submitted by applicant Contrary to the public interest (s4.15(1)(e)) Subdivision / minimum lot size non-compliance SEPP non-compliance (BASIX, Codes, Housing etc.) Site not suitable for the development (s4.15(1)(c)) Other ground not covered above Any date Determined 2026 or later Determined 2025 or later Determined 2024 or later Determined 2023 or later Determined 2022 or later Determined 2021 or later 94 grounds matching · 17 refusals analysed in Hornsby Sign in to read the grounds The ranking below is free. The verbatim wording, the LEP and DCP clauses each ground was tested against, and the addresses and DA numbers behind them need an active subscription. There are 94 grounds indexed for Hornsby.
Stormwater, drainage or flooding 15 grounds 13 decisive Contrary to the public interest (s4.15(1)(e)) 14 grounds 14 decisive Streetscape / neighbourhood character incompatibility 12 grounds 4 decisive Insufficient information submitted by applicant 10 grounds 5 decisive Landscaping deficiency or tree removal 7 grounds 1 decisive Setbacks or building envelope non-compliance 6 grounds 4 decisive Building height, scale, bulk or massing 6 grounds 3 decisive Parking shortfall, traffic or vehicular access 5 grounds 3 decisive Heritage item or conservation area impact 5 grounds 5 decisive Subdivision / minimum lot size non-compliance 3 grounds 3 decisive Other ground not covered above 3 grounds 1 decisive Site not suitable for the development (s4.15(1)(c)) 2 grounds 2 decisive Land use prohibited / not permissible in zone 2 grounds 2 decisive SEPP non-compliance (BASIX, Codes, Housing etc.) 1 grounds 1 decisive Clause 4.6 variation request not justified 1 grounds 1 decisive Floor space ratio / gross floor area exceedance 1 grounds 1 decisive Bushfire hazard / RFS requirements 1 grounds 1 decisive 30 further refusals for Hornsby are queued for analysis and will appear here as they are processed.