Balgowlah Heights flood map & planning overlays

A planning-constraint profile of Balgowlah Heights (Northern Beaches, NSW) - 1.66 km², mapped from live council and state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 3 October 2026.

Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.

Planning schematicBalgowlah Heights

Constraint readout

1.66 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.

Flood overlay 2%

below council avg (12%) · #38 of 52 mapped council suburbs

Modelled flood depth held over parts of Balgowlah Heights

Bushfire-prone 48%

≈ council avg (47%) · #27 of 56 mapped council suburbs

Environmental33%

1.3× council avg (26%) · #15 of 56 in council

Heritage sites 14 Aircraft seen below 3,000 ft 100% Mostly Low Density Residential Flood 38th most affected of 52 → Bushfire 27th most affected of 56 →

Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Balgowlah Heights's boundary, with the flood, bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top. Magenta is where aircraft were observed in the sampled period, brightest below 3,000 ft.

Nearby suburbs, nearest first

Aircraft noise and flight paths over Balgowlah Heights

Two different things, kept apart on purpose. The ANEF contour is the planning instrument - a forecast published per airport that planning schemes use to control noise-sensitive development. Observed overflight is what a sampled aircraft-tracking feed actually recorded over the suburb - where aircraft flew, how low and how often.

Observed overflight - sampled 4 Sep to 2 Oct 2026

Under observed aircraft

100%

of the suburb, at or below 10,000 ft

Below 3,000 ft

100%

of the suburb's area

Lowest measured

500 ft

averaging 5,500 ft

Busiest square

~42 a day

2 a day below 3,000 ft · ±15%
typical observed square 5 a day

Night movements: not established - night is sampled as often as day, but too few night flights have been seen here to conclude either way.

Traffic is sampled rather than watched continuously, so every figure is a floor: aircraft not captured between samples are not represented. Rates are per 500 m square - the busiest square in the suburb, not a count of flights over the suburb - and a square is only rated where enough traffic was seen to measure it. Altitudes are above mean sea level. Flight paths change with runway use, weather, season and airspace design. This is a record of observed traffic; it is not a noise contour and not a planning control.

Balgowlah Heights at a glance

Parcels 1,184 Median lot 626 m² Mapped easements 3 Bus stops 49 Landslide overlay <1%

How Balgowlah Heights is zoned

Low Density Residential 56%

National Parks and Nature Reserves 31%

Public Recreation 8%

Environmental Management 2%

Infrastructure 2%

Private Recreation 1%

Buying in Balgowlah Heights? The zoning, flood and bushfire lines on the section 10.7 certificate attached to the contract are mapped controls - see our s10.7 certificate guide.

Across its 1.66 km², Balgowlah Heights is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 2% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 48% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 14 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Low Density Residential. The median lot measures about 626 m² across 1,184 parcels.

Who lives in Balgowlah Heights

Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Balgowlah Heights suburb boundary itself, not a wider region.

Population

3,546

usual residents, 2021

Median age

years

Median household income

$4,687

per week, Northern Beaches suburb typical $2,778

Median rent

$1,320

per week, Northern Beaches suburb typical $700

Median mortgage

$4,878

per month

Household size

3.3

people, average

Socio-economic standing

ABS SEIFA 2021 ranks every Australian suburb. Decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth of the country, decile 10 the least.

Advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD) Decile 10

most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Score 1202, and decile 10 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.

Relative disadvantage (IRSD) Decile 10

most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Age profile

Share of Balgowlah Heights's 3,546 residents in each ABS age band.

0-4 3.4%

5-14 20.6%

15-19 8.6%

20-24 4.9%

25-34 4.0%

35-44 10.8%

45-54 19.0%

55-64 13.7%

65-74 8.9%

75-84 3.8%

85+ 2.5%

Population trend, 2001 to 2025

Estimated resident population of Balgowlah - Clontarf - Seaforth, the wider ABS statistical area containing Balgowlah Heights. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Balgowlah Heights itself.

18,445 in 2001 to 20,936 in 2025, up 14%.

Source: ABS Census 2021 and SEIFA 2021 (Suburbs and Localities), Regional Population (SA2), CC BY 4.0. Small counts are randomly adjusted by the ABS.

Balgowlah Heights data sources and coverage

“Not mapped” means we hold no source layer for this suburb - never an all-clear.

Dataset	Coverage	Publisher
Flood mapping	Mapped	NSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies
Bushfire-prone mapping	Mapped	NSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies
Zoning	Mapped	NSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies
Heritage and environment	Mapped where published	NSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies
Aircraft noise contours (ANEF)	Not held	NSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies, Defence
Observed flight paths	Observed	adsb.lol, under the Open Database License
Demographics	Available	Australian Bureau of Statistics (2021 Census and SEIFA)

Profile last materially updated 3 October 2026. See the methodology and full source list. Source data changes over time and critical decisions should be checked with the responsible authority.

Check a specific Balgowlah Heights address

See exactly which overlays touch a single property - the interactive map is free. Need it on paper? A full planning PDF is just $9.

Aircraft have been seen below 3,000 ft over about 100% of Balgowlah Heights. The report's Aircraft Overflight page narrows that to the address itself: how many aircraft a day, how low, and at what heights.

Published flood models are held over parts of Balgowlah Heights. The free check tells you whether one reaches an address; where it does, a Flood Model Report is +$9 with the planning report.

Building or pricing a slab? The $119 geotechnical desktop report covers geology, soils, bores and an indicative AS 2870 site class for a Balgowlah Heights lot.

See what's in the $9 report →

Balgowlah Heights planning - frequently asked

Is Balgowlah Heights flood-prone?

About 2% of Balgowlah Heights falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 12%. Published flood models are held over parts of Balgowlah Heights; the free check on the Flood Model Report page says whether one reaches a given address.

Is Balgowlah Heights bushfire-prone?

Around 48% of Balgowlah Heights is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Northern Beaches average of 47%.

Is Balgowlah Heights under a flight path?

Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 100% of Balgowlah Heights, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 2 Oct 2026). The lowest measured aircraft was at 500 ft, with an average of 5,500 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 42 aircraft a day were recorded passing over one 500 m square. Traffic is sampled rather than watched continuously and flight paths change with runway use, weather and season; the ANEF contour is the planning instrument.

What is the zoning in Balgowlah Heights?

The dominant planning zone in Balgowlah Heights is Low Density Residential, though the suburb also includes National Parks and Nature Reserves and Public Recreation.

Does Balgowlah Heights have heritage-listed places?

Balgowlah Heights has 14 heritage-listed places on record.

What is the typical lot size in Balgowlah Heights?

Across 1,184 surveyed parcels in Balgowlah Heights, the median lot size is about 626 m². There are also 3 registered easements mapped in the suburb.

Does Balgowlah Heights have a train station?

There is no train station inside Balgowlah Heights itself. The suburb is served by 49 bus stops.

What is the population of Balgowlah Heights?

At the 2021 Census Balgowlah Heights had 3,546 usual residents, with a median age of 43 and an average household size of 3.3 people. The wider Balgowlah - Clontarf - Seaforth statistical area, which contains Balgowlah Heights, went from 18,445 people in 2001 to 20,936 in 2025, up 14%.

Is Balgowlah Heights an advantaged suburb?

On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Balgowlah Heights scores 1202 and sits in decile 10 of 10 nationally and decile 10 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).

What is the median household income in Balgowlah Heights?

Median household income in Balgowlah Heights was $4,687 a week at the 2021 Census, against $2,778 for the typical suburb in Northern Beaches. Median rent was $1,320 a week and the median mortgage repayment $4,878 a month.

Compare nearby suburbs

Nearby suburb	Distance	Flood mapped	Bushfire-prone
Clontarf	1.1 km	8%	39%
North Harbour Unincorporated - Sydney Harbour Area	1.4 km	0%	13%
Balgowlah	1.5 km	11%	8%
Fairlight	1.8 km	14%	0%
North Balgowlah	2.6 km	3%	26%
Manly	2.6 km	18%	54%
Manly Vale	2.8 km	28%	23%
Seaforth	2.8 km	2%	37%
Mosman Mosman	3.1 km	Not mapped	29%
Queenscliff	3.3 km	13%	0%

See all Northern Beaches suburb profiles →