Developer briefs

NSW council planning evidence

Kempsey Shire Council DA tracker & development applications

2,167 development applications since 2019, proposing 1,671 new homes. A decision takes 63 days at the median.

2,167Applications
1,671Homes proposed
63 daysMedian decision time
$116kMedian cost of works
17.8%Refused, of 1,822 decided

Two registers, side by side

What is proposed here versus what is approved. These are separate government registers that nobody publishes together: the NSW Planning Portal records what people apply to build, the ABS records what is actually approved. Over the last 12 months the ABS recorded 135 dwellings approved in Kempsey Shire Council worth $66M. The application pipeline is running at about 1.88× that rate. Substantially more is being proposed than approved.

Applications lodged by year

Applications lodged by year01983952021: applications 1992022: applications 3952023: applications 3552024: applications 2882025: applications 2702026: applications 180202120222023202420252026
applications · 2021 to 2026. Select a year to see the applications lodged in that period. Lodgements are applications, not approvals or completed homes. The most recent year may be incomplete; coverage follows this council’s NSW feed.
Applications lodged by year — underlying values
Period or categoryapplications
2021applications 199
2022applications 395
2023applications 355
2024applications 288
2025applications 270
2026applications 180 (partial period)

Source: NSW Planning Portal Online DA · Source snapshot: 2026-08-22.

Types of work proposed

Type of workApplications
Erection of a new structure706
Dwelling house404
Shed295
Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure276
Dwelling246
Subdivision161
Alterations and additions to residential development125
Residential Accommodation121

Heritage

126 heritage-listed items, 10 on the State Heritage Register — see them all. A listing restricts what can be altered or demolished.

Latest development applications

AddressWhatLodgedStatus
16 Riverside Drive Kinchela 2440Shed; Erection of a new structure; Carport19 Aug 2026Under Assessment
11 Willow Street Crescent Head 2440Subdivision18 Aug 2026Under Assessment
3 Rocks View Crescent Arakoon 2431Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure18 Aug 2026Under Assessment
11 Wirang Crescent South West Rocks 2431Shed; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure17 Aug 2026Under Assessment
19 Platypus Way South West Rocks 2431Erection of a new structure; Dual occupancy (attached); Residential Accommodation14 Aug 2026Under Assessment
46 Red Hill Lane Pola Creek 2440Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation14 Aug 2026Under Assessment
93-115 Main Street Willawarrin 2440Change of use of land or a building or the classification of a building under the Building Code of Australia; Horticulture13 Aug 2026Under Assessment
146 Sandy Creek Road Burnt Bridge 2440Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure13 Aug 2026Under Assessment
Lot 5 Old Coast Road And Taylors Road, KundabungSubdivision12 Aug 2026Under Assessment
26 North Street West Kempsey 2440Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Awnings, blinds and canopies12 Aug 2026Under Assessment
29 Banksia Drive Crescent Head 2440Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Driveways and hard stand spaces6 Aug 2026Under Assessment
33 Banksia Drive Crescent Head 2440Dual occupancy; Subdivision; Erection of a new structure; Dual occupancy (attached); Residential Accommodation6 Aug 2026Under Assessment
32 Angus Mcneil Crescent South Kempsey 2440Industrial development; Erection of a new structure; Light industry5 Aug 2026Under Assessment
2973 Willi Willi Road Willi Willi 2440Subdivision4 Aug 2026Under Assessment
82 Kemp Street West Kempsey 2440Dwelling house; Change of use of land or a building or the classification of a building under the Building Code of Australia3 Aug 2026Under Assessment
114 Crescent Head Road South Kempsey 2440Demolition; Erection of a new structure; Dual occupancy (detached); Residential Accommodation3 Aug 2026Under Assessment
8 Lois Lane South Kempsey 2440Shed; Erection of a new structure3 Aug 2026Under Assessment
21 Fitzroy Place South West Rocks 2431Dual occupancy; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure31 Jul 2026Under Assessment
1 Mayta Moran Close South West Rocks 2431Erection of a new structure; Earthworks, retaining walls and structural support28 Jul 2026Under Assessment
399 Macleay Valley Way South KempseyIndustrial development; Erection of a new structure27 Jul 2026Under Assessment

All 2,167 applications →

Follow this council

New applications as they are lodged, without visiting: RSS · JSON Feed. Both update when the nightly refresh runs.

What this council page tells you

Use the evidence in context. Applications show what has been proposed, not what has been approved or built. The figures above bring the NSW Planning Portal application feed together with the ABS approvals register and heritage data where a reliable council match exists.

Evidence boundary

Evidence found2,167 applications since 2019; 1,671 proposed homes; 135 dwellings approved in the current ABS comparison period.
Source coverageNSW Planning Portal Online DA, with ABS Building Approvals and NSW heritage registers where matched. Application data checked through 22 Aug 2026.
What this meansThis is the complete evidence currently loaded for this named council from the stated source universe.
What this does not meanZero or missing values do not prove no activity outside those sources. An application is not an approval or a completed project, and the NSW feed does not publish applicant, owner, architect or developer identity.

Applications: NSW Planning Portal Online DA API (CC-BY). Approvals: ABS Building Approvals by LGA (CC-BY 4.0). Decision time is measured from lodgement to determination on the 1,525 applications carrying both dates. Cost of works is the applicant's own estimate.