Development Applications in Turramurra, NSW

Development activity in Turramurra

I’ve been working the Turramurra residential scene for over a decade now, and if you’re a builder or tradie looking to get a foothold here, you need to understand what you’re walking into. Right now there are only four development applications lodged with local council, which tells you the market is tight. That’s not a sign of a dead suburb. It means the land is expensive and the approvals process is a grind. Most of the action is in new home construction, duplex and dual-occupancy builds, and the occasional light commercial fitout for the shops along the Pacific Highway. You’re not going to see a flood of high-rise apartments here. Turramurra is a leafy, established suburb, and the council treats it like a heritage-listed garden.

The housing stock is a real mix, and that’s what makes the work interesting. You’ve got your classic Californian bungalows from the 1920s and 1930s, solid brick Federation homes, and a decent chunk of post-war weatherboard cottages. Then there are the newer estates, mostly from the 1980s and 1990s, tucked into the bush blocks off Kissing Point Road and Bobbin Head Road. But the real money is in the knockdown-rebuild market. Homeowners here buy a tired old three-bedder on a quarter-acre block, flatten it, and put up a two-storey modern home with a pool and a granny flat. The blocks are big enough to split, which is why duplex and dual-occupancy applications keep coming through, even if they’re slow.

Local council is the gatekeeper, and they don’t mess around. Turnaround on a standard DA is running about six to eight months, sometimes longer if you’re near a bushfire zone or a heritage conservation area. Common conditions you’ll see include strict tree preservation orders — you can’t touch a gum tree without an arborist report — and stormwater detention tanks on nearly every new build. The council is also tough on driveway gradients and sight lines, especially on the steep blocks near the national park. If you’re a builder, get your soil tests and bushfire assessments done before you lodge. It’ll save you a resubmission.

The clients here are a specific breed. You’re dealing with upsizers — couples in their late 40s or early 50s selling a townhouse in Chatswood or a smaller place in St Ives, cashing out and building their forever home. They want four bedrooms, a study, a butler’s pantry, and a north-facing backyard. Then there are the renovators, usually families who bought a dated brick veneer in the 1990s and are finally ready to gut it. They want open-plan living, bifold doors to the deck, and a new kitchen that costs more than my first car. Investors are less common here, but they do exist, mostly targeting duplex builds on the main roads where they can get dual income. Knockdown-rebuilders are the bread and butter, though. They know the land value is in the dirt, not the house.

The market itself is steady, not hot. Prices have flattened out over the last eighteen months. You’re looking at around $2.5 to $3.5 million for a decent family home on a standard block, and land alone on a good street can push $1.8 million. That means the clients who are building are cashed up and picky. They expect premium finishes and they’ll hold you to the contract. There’s no room for cowboy work. The upside is that if you do a good job, word travels fast through the school gates and the local tennis club. I’ve picked up three jobs just from a single referral at the Turramurra Memorial Hall.

If you’re thinking of working in Turramurra, get your head around the council’s DCP and be ready for a slower burn than you’d get in Hornsby or Wahroonga. The clients are demanding, the blocks are tricky, and the approvals take time. But the work is solid, the pay is good, and once you’ve built a reputation here, you’ll never be short of a job. Just don’t expect to cut any corners.