The biggest Canterbury-Bankstown planning signal for DA and design clients in early October 2026 is the Special Entertainment Precincts package for Bankstown City Centre and Campsie Town Centre. Council adopted the LEP planning proposal, the DCP acoustic amendments and the Precinct Management Plan on 15 September 2026 and sent the LEP change to the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI) to finalise and gazette — so it is not yet in force. Council also adopted a Bankstown City Centre DCP housekeeping amendment on 25 August 2026, Chester Square’s rezoning is now in effect, and an Ausgrid industrial rezoning in Greenacre and Padstow is open for comment until 27 October 2026.
Status snapshot (October 2026)
| Item | Status (access 5 Oct 2026) | DA / design implication |
|---|---|---|
| Special Entertainment Precincts — Bankstown City Centre and Campsie Town Centre (CBLEP 2023 planning proposal, DCP 2023 acoustic amendments, Precinct Management Plan) | ADOPTED by Council 15 Sep 2026 · LEP change WAITING GAZETTAL (submitted to DPHI to finalise and gazette; gazettal not confirmed) | Expect acoustic design requirements for venues and nearby noise-sensitive development once in effect — do not treat the precincts or trial as live yet |
| Canterbury-Bankstown DCP 2023 housekeeping — Chapter 6.2 Bankstown City Centre | ADOPTED 25 Aug 2026 · in-force date not yet shown on Council’s DCP amendments table | Tall-building proposals (over 50 m) in the Bankstown City Centre should check the new minimum lot width control in the adopted chapter |
| Chester Square, 1 Leicester Street, Chester Hill (PP-2024-548) + DCP Chapter 11.16 | LEP amendment IN EFFECT (Council report, 25 Aug 2026) · DCP Chapter 11.16 IN EFFECT 17 Jul 2026 | Site controls now apply — read the made LEP maps and Chapter 11.16 before design |
| Ausgrid sites — 81A–89 Rosedale Avenue, Greenacre and 48A Gibson Avenue, Padstow | OPEN EXHIBITION 14 Sep – 27 Oct 2026, 11:59 pm | Proposed SP2 → E4 General Industrial; neighbours and industrial owners can make a submission now |
| Heritage listing — 64 Homer Street, Earlwood | POST-EXHIBITION (exhibited from 3 Sep 2026, now closed) · Interim Heritage Order in place | Treat the property as heritage-protected while the listing proceeds |
| 11 Harp Street and 5 & 11A Elizabeth Street, Campsie (PP-2024-1399); Campsie Town Centre (PP-2024-2261) | POST-EXHIBITION — both with DPHI for finalisation; not made on access | WATCH — keep current CBLEP 2023 controls as the baseline |
Primary sources: Have Your Say — Special Entertainment Precincts trial; Council agenda, 15 September 2026; Council minutes, 15 September 2026; Council agenda, 25 August 2026; Canterbury-Bankstown DCP 2023 page; Have Your Say — Ausgrid sites rezoning; NSW Planning Portal — Campsie Town Centre planning proposal. Access date for status labels in this digest: 5 October 2026.
Special Entertainment Precincts (Bankstown and Campsie) — adopted, waiting gazettal
Status: ADOPTED / WAITING GAZETTAL (not in force; trial not started). Canterbury-Bankstown exhibited three draft documents from 22 June to 27 July 2026 on Have Your Say:
- LEP changes to Canterbury-Bankstown LEP 2023 that map the precinct boundaries in the Bankstown City Centre and Campsie Town Centre;
- DCP changes setting soundproofing and acoustic design rules for new buildings and additions in and near the precincts; and
- a Precinct Management Plan (PMP) covering trading hours and sound limits for participating venues.
The Gateway determination was issued by DPHI in May 2026. Council’s report to the 15 September 2026 Ordinary Meeting (Item 6.1) records 39 submissions, with 75% supporting the trial, after more than 9,600 properties were notified. The Have Your Say page notes the work is supported by a $112,000 SEP Kickstart Grant and that the trial is intended to run from late 2026 to mid-2027.
At that meeting Council resolved (Resolution 707, carried with nil against) to adopt the planning proposal to amend CBLEP 2023, submit it to DPHI “to finalise and gazette”, adopt the DCP amendments, adopt the PMP, and run a trial of up to 12 months with outcomes reported back to Council. Council’s report is clear that the trial can begin only after all three documents are adopted and in effect. On access (5 October 2026), gazettal of the LEP amendment had not been confirmed.
How it is meant to work: inside the precincts, businesses would be able to extend trading or host live music as exempt development, provided they comply with the Codes SEPP, the DCP, the PMP and their existing consent and liquor licence conditions. The report notes the SEP does not override liquor trading hours. Trading-hour and sound settings sit in the PMP and liquor licensing, not in the LEP, so we do not restate them here.
Why it matters: This is the first time the LGA will have mapped entertainment precincts with their own acoustic rules. If you are planning a shop-top housing, residential flat or mixed-use DA in or close to the Bankstown or Campsie precinct boundaries, budget early for acoustic advice and façade design that responds to the adopted DCP controls once they take effect. Venue operators should wait for gazettal and Council’s confirmation that the trial has started.
Bankstown City Centre DCP housekeeping — adopted
Status: ADOPTED (in-force date not yet shown). Council exhibited proposed changes to Canterbury-Bankstown DCP 2023 from 4 May to 5 June 2026. The changes sit in Chapter 6.2 (Bankstown City Centre) and do two things: introduce a minimum lot width for buildings taller than 50 m in the Bankstown City Centre, and fix typographical errors and duplicated controls.
The 25 August 2026 report (Item 6.2) noted three submissions and recommended adoption as exhibited. Council adopted the amendments that night (Resolution 664, carried). The report states the amendments apply to DAs lodged on or after the date they take effect. On access, Council’s DCP amendments table listed entries only up to amendment #15 (Chester Hill, 17 July 2026), so we cannot yet give a commencement date. Read the lot-width figure in the adopted Chapter 6.2 document itself.
Why it matters: For a Bankstown CBD tower, lot width is now a threshold design question. Check your amalgamation against the adopted control before massing studies, and confirm the commencement date before lodging.
Chester Square, Chester Hill — in effect
Status: IN EFFECT (LEP and site-specific DCP). Council’s 25 August 2026 planning proposal status report (Item 6.4) states: “Since the last update, the planning proposal Chester Square has been finalised by the Department and the LEP Amendments are now in effect.” Separately, Council’s DCP page lists amendment #15 — Chapter 11.16 for 1 Leicester Street, Chester Hill — as adopted on 24 March 2026 and in effect from 17 July 2026.
As exhibited, the Chester Square planning proposal described floor space ratios of up to 4:1, building heights from 10 m to 60 m (up to 18 storeys) and around 515 dwellings. Those figures describe the proposal as exhibited, so check the made LEP maps on the NSW Legislation website before you rely on any number.
Why it matters: This is the one item here where new controls definitely apply now — design and assess against the in-force LEP maps and DCP Chapter 11.16.
Ausgrid sites, Greenacre and Padstow — open exhibition to 27 October
Status: OPEN EXHIBITION (14 September – 27 October 2026, 11:59 pm). Council is exhibiting a planning proposal to rezone two Ausgrid sites — 81A–89 Rosedale Avenue, Greenacre and 48A Gibson Avenue, Padstow — from SP2 (Electricity Transmission or Distribution Network) to E4 General Industrial, with an FSR of 1:1 and no maximum building height, to match the adjoining industrial land.
The proposal has a Gateway determination (posted on Have Your Say), and Council is the plan-making authority. Council resolved to prepare it on 28 April 2026 and the Local Planning Panel considered it on 28 July 2026. No DCP change and no planning agreement are proposed.
Why it matters: If you own or lease industrial land next to either site, this is your window to comment. If made, both sites would share the E4 settings of their neighbours.
Heritage, hospital and town-centre watches
64 Homer Street, Earlwood — POST-EXHIBITION. A planning proposal would add the property to Schedule 5 of CBLEP 2023 as a local heritage item. It has Gateway approval and was exhibited from 3 September 2026 (now closed). An Interim Heritage Order is already in place, made after a development application proposed demolition. Council is the plan-making authority. Anyone with works planned on or next to the site should assume heritage protection applies.
11 Harp Street and 5 & 11A Elizabeth Street, Campsie (PP-2024-1399) — POST-EXHIBITION, with DPHI for finalisation. On 28 July 2026 Council resolved (Resolution 632, carried) to send the private hospital / medical precinct planning proposal to DPHI for finalisation, endorsed a site-specific DCP to take effect once the LEP amendment is published, and endorsed the planning agreement. The LEP amendment is not made on our check. Background: Have Your Say — Harp Street planning agreement.
Campsie Town Centre (PP-2024-2261) — POST-EXHIBITION / WATCH. The NSW Planning Portal shows the Campsie Master Plan planning proposal at the Finalisation stage. It was exhibited from 7 November to 19 December 2025 and returned to DPHI for assessment and LEP drafting on 19 June 2026. It is not yet made. Campsie projects should still be designed to current CBLEP 2023 controls.
Club Punchbowl (PP-2024-2184) — WATCH. The planning proposal and draft site-specific DCP were exhibited from 15 July to 25 August 2026. Council’s Have Your Say timeline now indicates the project is no longer proceeding, while the Planning Portal still shows the proposal at Gateway Implementation.
Also on the radar
- Belfield Master Plan — WATCH. Adopted on 25 August 2026 (Resolution 663). Council will prepare a CBLEP 2023 planning proposal for Gateway and draft DCP amendments. Council’s report says the plan targets around 340 additional dwellings and 1,200 m² of employment floor space over 20 years.
- Tree-planting DCP controls — WATCH. Draft controls for dwelling houses, dual occupancies and semi-detached dwellings were endorsed for exhibition on 25 August 2026 (Resolution 665). The exhibition was not yet visible on Have Your Say on 5 October 2026, and nothing is adopted.
- 15 & 25 Greenfield Parade, Bankstown — WATCH. A planning proposal to reclassify Council-owned land is going to Gateway (28 July 2026, Resolution 633).
Practical next steps for giantA clients
- Bankstown or Campsie town centre sites: map your site against the exhibited SEP boundaries and plan for acoustic input early. Do not assume the precincts or trial are live until the LEP amendment is gazetted and Council confirms commencement.
- Bankstown CBD towers over 50 m: check lot width against adopted DCP Chapter 6.2 before massing or amalgamation decisions, and confirm the commencement date before lodging.
- Chester Hill: design to the in-force Chester Square LEP maps and DCP Chapter 11.16.
- Greenacre / Padstow industrial owners: make a submission on the Ausgrid rezoning by 11:59 pm, 27 October 2026 if it affects you.
- Earlwood, Campsie and Punchbowl: treat Homer Street, Harp Street, Campsie Town Centre and Club Punchbowl as watches. Keep current CBLEP 2023 controls as your baseline until a made instrument appears on legislation.nsw.gov.au.
- Documentation: see our architectural and DA documentation services, or send questions through help.
- Need a second opinion? Ask giantA for a review of how these changes affect your site.
Related guides and services
- All services
- Architectural services (DA / CDC / Class 2)
- Meet the team
- City of Ryde planning updates October 2026
- Canada Bay planning updates September 2026
- Inner West planning updates September 2026
- City of Sydney planning updates September 2026
- Parramatta planning updates September 2026
FAQs
Are the Bankstown and Campsie Special Entertainment Precincts in force?
Not on the evidence we checked on 5 October 2026. Council adopted the CBLEP 2023 planning proposal, the DCP acoustic amendments and the Precinct Management Plan on 15 September 2026 and submitted the LEP change to DPHI to finalise and gazette. Gazettal has not been confirmed, and Council’s report says the trial can begin only after all three documents are adopted and in effect.
Does the SEP change liquor trading hours?
No. Council’s report says the SEP does not override liquor trading hours. Venues would still need to comply with the Codes SEPP, the DCP, the PMP and their existing consent and liquor licence conditions.
When does the Bankstown City Centre DCP housekeeping amendment apply?
Council adopted it on 25 August 2026, and it applies to DAs lodged on or after the date it takes effect. On access, Council’s DCP amendments table did not yet show that date, so check the DCP page before lodging.
How do I comment on the Ausgrid rezoning in Greenacre and Padstow?
Use Council’s Have Your Say page. The exhibition is open until 11:59 pm on Monday 27 October 2026.
Next step: Request a Canterbury-Bankstown DA design review with giantA — architectural services and approvals documentation for homes and small developments across Greater Sydney.