Belmore Street East, Oatlands PLEP Schedule 1 APU and FSR are in effect (Sep 2026 per Council Participate). Planning Agreements Policy 2026 was adopted 10 August 2026. CBD South Master Plan Phase 1 is non-statutory with no height/FSR uplift. Harmonisation dual-occupancy subdivision is PENDING at DPHI only. Verify on legislation.nsw.gov.au and the Spatial Viewer before design.
What is in effect vs still pending (September 2026 snapshot)
Use this status frame before you spend on drawings or brief a certifier:
| Item | Status (Sep 2026) | What it means for DA / CDC / design |
|---|---|---|
| Belmore Street East, Oatlands — PLEP 2023 Schedule 1 APU + FSR | IN EFFECT (per Council Participate; September 2026) | Site-specific additional permitted uses and FSR 0.6:1 now apply — confirm the in-force instrument and maps before relying on Participate alone |
| Planning Agreements Policy 2026 | ADOPTED 10 August 2026 | New VPAs / planning agreements use the 2026 policy and templates; existing executed agreements continue on their terms |
| CBD South Precinct Master Plan Phase 1 | CLOSED / under review — non-statutory | Design and public-domain context only; Council says it does not uplift development controls |
| Harmonisation Supplementary Matters (incl. dual-occupancy subdivision on mapped “S” land) | PENDING at DPHI | Do not redesign subdivision strategy until the amending LEP is notified |
| Outside CBD contributions rates | Current plans in force; July 2026 rates sheet referenced by Council — no dollar figures quoted here | Always pull the live rates sheet and your consent condition |
Primary Participate and Council sources for this digest: Belmore Street East, Oatlands, Planning Agreements Policy Amendment 2, CBD South Master Plan, Harmonisation Supplementary Matters, and the Planning Agreements hub.
Belmore Street East, Oatlands: Schedule 1 APU + FSR now in effect
What Council says changed
City of Parramatta’s Participate page (update created 8 September 2026) states the planning proposal for 59–59A Belmore Street East, Oatlands has been finalised and the amended planning controls are now in effect (September 2026). Exhibition ran 29 April – 26 May 2026.
Per Participate, the proposal amends Parramatta Local Environmental Plan 2023 (PLEP 2023) by adding Schedule 1 – Additional Permitted Uses for the site:
- indoor recreation facilities — maximum 1,100 sqm
- office premises and business premises — combined maximum 850 sqm
- food and drink premises — maximum 150 sqm
It also increases maximum floor space ratio (FSR) on the site from 0.5:1 to 0.6:1.
We are not quoting an Amendment number or gazette date in this post. Those identifiers were not independently verified against legislation.nsw.gov.au in the research pack used for this digest. Treat Participate as Council’s narrative of finalisation; treat legislation.nsw.gov.au (PLEP 2023 current instrument) as the place to confirm the in-force text. Council also points readers to Portal mapping via its LEP landing page.
Why homeowners and small developers should care
This is a concrete “controls moved under your feet” story after LEP harmonisation. Participate FAQs note that a prior DA pathway for medical centre / gym / health / swim / neighbourhood shop uses occurred under the former LEP when indoor recreation was permissible in the low-density residential zone; PLEP 2023 later prohibited that use in that zone. The Schedule 1 APU restores site-specific permissibility consistent with the approved pathway — still subject to any further consent for use changes.
Participate also states the planning proposal does not enlarge the already-approved building envelope; extra gross floor area sits within the approved footprint. That is a useful reminder for anyone chasing “more FSR” as a redesign brief: APU and FSR changes do not automatically mean a bigger envelope.
If you hold a legacy DA, a mixed medical/recreation/neighbourhood use in a residential zone, or you are checking Oatlands controls after September 2026, treat this as a prompt to re-read Schedule 1 and the FSR map — not as a template for other lots.
How to verify before you design
- Read the in-force PLEP 2023 (and any amending instrument) on legislation.nsw.gov.au.
- Check zoning, height, FSR, additional permitted uses and related layers on the NSW Planning Portal Spatial Viewer / Digital EPI.
- Order a fresh section 10.7 planning certificate for the lot.
Mapping disclaimer: City of Parramatta directs users to the NSW Planning Portal Spatial Viewer / Digital EPI for the legal digital maps for PLEP 2023. Maps and layers can lag narrative Participate updates — always pair Portal maps with section 10.7 and the in-force instrument before DA, CDC or design advice.
Planning Agreements Policy 2026 (adopted 10 August 2026)
What Council approved
On Monday 10 August 2026, Council resolved to approve Planning Agreements Policy (Amendment 2), the template Planning Agreement, and the template Infrastructure Services Delivery Plan. Exhibition ran 20 April – 20 May 2026. Council publishes the adopted instrument as the Parramatta Planning Agreements Policy 2026 on its planning agreements page, with Participate narrative at the Amendment 2 project page.
Key policy shifts (no fee invention)
Per Participate, material updates include:
- a new Infrastructure Service Delivery Plan (ISDP) template
- removal of Land Application / CBD maps from Appendix A
- deletion of value sharing references (no LEP value-sharing mechanism)
- removal of a land value uplift clause
- expanded governance / probity settings
- an Affordable Housing Contribution pathway
- more negotiation procedure detail, registration/caveat updates, and Capital Works Delivery requirements where developers deliver infrastructure
- alignment with the NSW DPHI Planning Agreements Practice Note (May 2025), per Participate
Council’s hub also notes the Land Dedication Policy and the register maintained under clause 206 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation 2021. Existing executed agreements continue on their terms; the 2026 policy applies to new agreements and relevant amendments. Soft claim only — read the adopted PDF and take planning/legal advice before offering public benefits.
Homeowner vs small-developer relevance
Most owner-occupier house DAs never need a planning agreement. The policy bites when a planning proposal, larger DA or CDC pathway involves works-in-kind, land dedication, affordable housing contributions, or other negotiated public benefits. Small developers and PP proponents should brief against the 2026 templates — not superseded assumptions.
CBD South Precinct Master Plan Phase 1 (closed; non-statutory)
What Phase 1 covers
Phase 1 covers the precinct south of Parramatta Station, bounded by Church Street, Parkes Street and the railway. Council endorsed exhibition on 28 April 2026; public exhibition ran 11 May – 23 June 2026 (closed 5pm Tuesday 23 June). Submissions were under review at research date, with a final Master Plan expected later in 2026 and Phase 2 exhibition flagged for 2027.
Vision elements described on Participate include a new city square of about 1,300 sqm, Chinatown / nightlife activation on Church Street and laneways, and local traffic changes that prioritise pedestrians (wider footpaths, safer crossings, bike lanes). Short-term Council works mentioned include Church Street public-domain upgrades (trees, paving, furniture, lighting, signage, art).
What it does not do
Council’s Participate page states the master plan does not uplift development controls. It is a non-statutory guiding framework for buildings, streets, public space and Council land, intended to inform future DAs and future City Centre DCP amendments.
Do not redesign height, FSR or yield against Phase 1 as if it were an LEP amendment. Treat it as design context for CBD South interfaces, laneway activation and public-domain expectations — then watch for any later DCP exhibition on cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au.
Source: CBD South Master Plan Participate page.
Harmonisation Supplementary Matters: dual-occupancy subdivision — PENDING only
Where it sits today
This is the highest LGA-wide watch-item for duplex / dual-occupancy clients in former Hills pockets.
Participate states that on 1 June 2026 Council approved the Harmonisation Supplementary Matters and Housekeeping planning proposal for finalisation with no amendments, and forwarded it to DPHI (Participate references Item OCM26-87 / Item 12.1). At 20 September 2026 research, status remained with DPHI for finalisation and was not independently confirmed as notified on legislation.nsw.gov.au.
Until notification, treat every “I heard dual-occ subdivision is allowed now” rumour as PENDING.
What Participate FAQs say would change if made
Participate FAQs describe a future removal of a dual-occupancy subdivision prohibition applying to land marked “S” on the Dual Occupancy Prohibition Map in former Hills areas — parts of Carlingford, North Rocks, Northmead and Oatlands per FAQ — intended to align with Housing SEPP dual-occupancy subdivision settings in low- and mid-rise housing areas. FAQ text says removal would allow owners on affected mapped land to seek approval to subdivide a dual occupancy, still subject to other LEP, DCP and SEPP controls and consent.
Do not quote a clause number as in-force text. FAQ clause labels varied across research fetches. Quote clause text only after the amending environmental planning instrument is made, then re-check Portal maps.
Heritage map housekeeping (pending with the same package)
The same package includes Schedule 5 / Heritage Map administrative corrections (demolished, redeveloped or incorrectly mapped items) among housekeeping items. Once made, those corrections can affect section 10.7 notations and DA referral triggers. Cite the LEP instrument first; for when councils ask for a Statement of Heritage Impact, see giantA’s Heritage Impact Statements / SOHI guide.
Source: Harmonisation Supplementary Matters.
Contributions: what we can say without quoting rates
Council’s development contributions page lists two plans currently in force: Parramatta City Centre Local Infrastructure Contributions Plan 2022 (Amendment No. 3) (Amendment No. 3 effective 13 December 2024 per Council) and City of Parramatta (Outside CBD) Development Contributions Plan 2021 – Amendment No. 1. The page references an Outside CBD section 7.11 rates sheet dated 29 July 2026. The research pack could not retrieve dollar figures from that PDF (URL returned 404) — this post does not quote contribution dollar rates.
The former-plans repeal Participate project exhibition closed 30 March 2026. Stage 2 is a rewrite of the two in-force plans; Participate expects the overall review to conclude late 2026, with updated plans anticipated early 2027. An alleged 24 August 2026 repeal decision date was not verified on a primary notice URL at research time — treat it as unverified.
Soft practice: always download the current rates sheet, read your consent condition, and expect further exhibition of revised works schedules.
Practical checklist before DA, CDC or design in Parramatta
- Order a fresh section 10.7 certificate for the lot.
- Open the NSW Planning Portal Spatial Viewer / Digital EPI for zoning, HOB, FSR, APU, dual-occupancy prohibition and heritage layers — remembering maps can lag Participate narrative.
- Confirm in-force LEP / SEPP text on legislation.nsw.gov.au.
- Re-read the relevant Participate project pages for Belmore, Planning Agreements, CBD South and Harmonisation so you know what is live vs pending.
- Decide pathway: DA vs CDC against current controls — do not assume dual-occ subdivision or CBD South “uplift” is available yet.
- Assemble the document pack that matches the pathway: Statement of Environmental Effects, BASIX & NatHERS, heritage SOHI where triggered, and Class 2 Construction Certificate / regulated design timing if apartments are in scope.
- If you need a coordinated design + approvals package in Parramatta CBD or Greater NSW, request a review with giantA.
Related guides and services
- All services — architectural services, drafting, and BASIX/NatHERS across Parramatta CBD and Greater NSW
- Architectural services (DA / CDC / Class 2)
- DA & CDC checklist
- Home renovation DA vs CDC
- Heritage Impact Statements / SOHI
FAQs
What Parramatta planning changes are in effect as of September 2026?
Per City of Parramatta Participate, the planning proposal for 59–59A Belmore Street East, Oatlands has been finalised and the amended PLEP 2023 controls (Schedule 1 additional permitted uses with stated GFA caps, and maximum FSR increased from 0.5:1 to 0.6:1) are now in effect. Separately, Council adopted the Parramatta Planning Agreements Policy 2026 on 10 August 2026. Always confirm the in-force instrument on legislation.nsw.gov.au and maps on the NSW Planning Portal Spatial Viewer before relying on Participate narrative alone.
Does the CBD South Parramatta Master Plan change my height or FSR?
No — Council’s Participate page states the Phase 1 master plan does not uplift development controls. It is a non-statutory guiding framework for buildings, streets, public space and Council land, intended to inform future DAs and future City Centre DCP amendments. Phase 1 exhibition closed 23 June 2026; finalisation expected later in 2026.
Can I subdivide a dual occupancy in former Hills parts of Parramatta yet?
Not on the strength of the Harmonisation Supplementary planning proposal alone. Council endorsed that proposal for finalisation on 1 June 2026 and forwarded it to DPHI; as at 20 September 2026 research it was still pending and not confirmed as notified on legislation.nsw.gov.au. Participate FAQs describe a future removal of a dual-occupancy subdivision prohibition on mapped “S” land (parts of Carlingford, North Rocks, Northmead, Oatlands) — treat as PENDING until the amending LEP is made, then re-check Portal maps and other LEP/DCP/SEPP controls.
Next step: Request a Parramatta DA / CDC design review with giantA — architectural services, drafting and BASIX/NatHERS for Parramatta CBD and Greater NSW.