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 97 grounds matching · 20 refusals analysed in 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 97 grounds indexed for Sydney.
Heritage item or conservation area impact 13 grounds 13 decisive Streetscape / neighbourhood character incompatibility 12 grounds 12 decisive Insufficient information submitted by applicant 12 grounds 10 decisive Contrary to the public interest (s4.15(1)(e)) 12 grounds 12 decisive Building height, scale, bulk or massing 7 grounds 6 decisive Other ground not covered above 6 grounds 3 decisive Noise or acoustic amenity impact 5 grounds 5 decisive Privacy loss / overlooking of neighbours 5 grounds 2 decisive Land use prohibited / not permissible in zone 5 grounds 5 decisive Landscaping deficiency or tree removal 4 grounds SEPP non-compliance (BASIX, Codes, Housing etc.) 4 grounds 3 decisive Clause 4.6 variation request not justified 3 grounds 3 decisive Overshadowing / solar access loss to neighbours 2 grounds 2 decisive Setbacks or building envelope non-compliance 2 grounds Floor space ratio / gross floor area exceedance 2 grounds 2 decisive Parking shortfall, traffic or vehicular access 1 grounds Site not suitable for the development (s4.15(1)(c)) 1 grounds 1 decisive Land contamination (SEPP Resilience/55) 1 grounds 1 decisive 171 further refusals for Sydney are queued for analysis and will appear here as they are processed.