NEW BUILDS + DEVELOPMENTS
Jasper Green prepares landscape plans for new homes, duplexes, dual occupancies and small townhouse developments across Sydney. We start with the council’s controls, including landscaped area, deep soil, private open space and tree replacement, and plan a landscape that meets them, presents well from the street and still works for the people who move in.
Recent projects
Lilyfield
(DA approved. Landscape quoting).
Knockdown rebuild two-storey home. DA landscape plan approved by Inner West Council. Deep soil and landscaped area requirements met around a rainwater tank and a charged stormwater line to the front drainage pit, with trees removed for the build on the project arborist’s advice and replacement trees planned in to meet council’s requirements.
Who this service is for
This service is for owners knocking down and rebuilding, small developers building a duplex or a few townhouses, owners replacing their house with a dual occupancy, and architects or building designers who need a landscape consultant on the DA team. It suits projects where the landscape plan has to satisfy council, and the finished garden has to hold up after handover with little maintenance.
Apartment buildings and larger multi-residential projects usually need a registered landscape architect, so they sit outside this service. For a garden at an existing home, see Residential Landscapes.
Development issues we regularly resolve
- Landscaped area and deep soil: each council sets its own minimums, and its own rules for what counts. We measure every zone, mark it on the plan and set out the figures in a compliance table, so the assessor can check them quickly. Our article on council rules for Sydney gardens covers the wider picture.
- Private open space: each dwelling needs its own usable outdoor space, with a minimum size and dimension and, often, a share of winter sun. Screening between dwellings gives privacy without shading the courtyard next door.
- Existing and replacement trees: trees worth keeping are protected with their root zones clear of driveways and services, working from the project arborist’s report. Where council requires replacement trees, we choose species that will reach a useful size without lifting paving or blocking drains.
- Stormwater, driveways and services: detention and rainwater tanks, charged stormwater lines, pits, easements, meters and driveways all compete for the same ground. We work from the engineer’s stormwater plan, so planting never sits over a tank lid or blocks access to a pit.
- BASIX commitments: if the BASIX certificate commits to a rainwater tank supplying the garden, or to an area of low-water-use planting, the landscape plan has to show it. We check the certificate early, so the plan and the commitments match at lodgement.
- Street presentation and handover: the front setback is what buyers and council see first. Planting is chosen to look established at handover and to survive with the maintenance a new owner or strata committee will realistically give it. Our planting design service explains how plants are chosen.
How a development project runs
- Discovery Call (free, 30 minutes). The site, the proposed development, where the architectural plans are up to, and your lodgement timeline. We then email you a Site Diagnostic proposal.
- Site Diagnostic. A visit to the site, plus a review of the council’s controls and any existing trees, levels and drainage that will shape the landscape. You receive a written report setting out what we found and how to proceed. More on the [Site Diagnostic page → /services/sydney-landscape-assessment-site-diagnostic/].
- Scope of Works. What will be prepared, for which stage, and the fixed fee.
- Reverse Brief. Your objectives, budget and the council requirements, confirmed in writing.
- Concept. The landscape layout, coordinated with the architectural, stormwater and arborist plans.
- DA landscape plan. The plan for lodgement, with a planting schedule and a compliance table measured against the council’s controls. Usually three to four weeks once the scope is agreed and the architectural plans are settled.
- Construction documentation and support (optional). Detailed plans for the certifier and the builder, site visits during the build, and a check of the finished landscape against the approved plan before the Occupation Certificate.
Each stage is described on our process page.
Fees
Development projects start from $3,000 for a DA landscape plan on a new home, duplex or dual occupancy. The Discovery Call is free of charge, and a Site Diagnostic begins every project. Once we know the site, the number of dwellings and which stages you need, the Scope of Works locks in the fee. More dwellings, construction documentation and construction support are what usually add to it. Our guide to [landscape design costs in Sydney → /landscape-design-costs-in-sydney/] has more on pricing.
Where we work
We work across Sydney. Knock-down rebuilds, duplexes and townhouses are concentrated in Canterbury-Bankstown and Bayside, the Inner West, Ryde, Lane Cove and the Lower North Shore, and the Eastern Suburbs, and each council has its own landscape controls and plan requirements.
Who you’ll work with
Damian Norton founded Jasper Green on the view that good outcomes start with understanding people, places and the problems that connect them.
With a degree in design and a postgraduate certificate in garden design, he brings decades of experience in strategy and problem-solving to landscape work, based around careful investigation of each site and client needs.
Damian leads every Jasper Green project, from the first call to construction support, and brings in arborists, engineers and other specialists when a project or site needs them.
Frequently asked new build + development questions
Does council need a landscape plan for a new home or duplex?
For a development application, usually yes. Many Sydney councils ask for a landscape plan with a DA for a new dwelling, dual occupancy or multi-dwelling development, and many list exactly what it must show, from landscaped area to tree species and pot sizes. Complying development has its own requirements, so we confirm which pathway and which rules apply before starting.
Who can prepare the landscape plan?
For dual occupancies and small multi-dwelling projects, many councils accept a plan prepared by a qualified landscape designer, while some require a registered landscape architect. We check your council’s requirements at the start and tell you plainly if your project needs a different consultant.
What is needed from us to start?
The survey, the latest architectural plans (site plan, floor plans and elevations), the stormwater or civil plan, any arborist report and notes from a pre-lodgement meeting if you’ve had one. The more settled the architectural plans are, the fewer revisions the landscape plan needs.
How long does a DA landscape plan take?
Usually three to four weeks from the agreed scope, including a draft for your review. Timing depends mostly on how final the architectural and stormwater plans are, so tell us your lodgement date at the first call.
What happens if council asks for changes?
We respond to council requests for information about the landscape plan as part of the DA stage. If the building design changes and the landscape has to be replanned, that work is quoted separately before it starts.
Can our builder’s landscaper install it?
Yes. The construction documentation is written for whoever builds it, with planting schedules, setting-out and material notes. Site visits during installation help keep the result close to the approved plan, which matters when council checks it before the Occupation Certificate. We can also assist in sourcing landscapers for the build.
Start with a conversation
Tell us about your garden on a free 30-minute Discovery Call, and we’ll suggest the right first step.