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 574 grounds matching · 144 refusals analysed in North Sydney 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 574 grounds indexed for North Sydney.
Streetscape / neighbourhood character incompatibility 69 grounds 53 decisive Insufficient information submitted by applicant 65 grounds 40 decisive Building height, scale, bulk or massing 54 grounds 52 decisive Contrary to the public interest (s4.15(1)(e)) 53 grounds 51 decisive Heritage item or conservation area impact 44 grounds 43 decisive Clause 4.6 variation request not justified 34 grounds 34 decisive Other ground not covered above 31 grounds 23 decisive Land use prohibited / not permissible in zone 29 grounds 29 decisive Site not suitable for the development (s4.15(1)(c)) 27 grounds 24 decisive Privacy loss / overlooking of neighbours 26 grounds 19 decisive Landscaping deficiency or tree removal 26 grounds 17 decisive Setbacks or building envelope non-compliance 22 grounds 14 decisive Overshadowing / solar access loss to neighbours 22 grounds 17 decisive Parking shortfall, traffic or vehicular access 13 grounds 8 decisive View loss / view sharing 13 grounds 9 decisive Noise or acoustic amenity impact 12 grounds 5 decisive SEPP non-compliance (BASIX, Codes, Housing etc.) 12 grounds 12 decisive Floor space ratio / gross floor area exceedance 9 grounds 6 decisive Stormwater, drainage or flooding 7 grounds 5 decisive Land contamination (SEPP Resilience/55) 3 grounds 3 decisive Biodiversity, native vegetation or ecology 3 grounds 3 decisive 5 further refusals for North Sydney are queued for analysis and will appear here as they are processed.