Cardiff Heights zoning & planning overlays

A planning-constraint profile of Cardiff Heights (Lake Macquarie, NSW) - 1.17 km², mapped from live council and state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained on the overlays we could measure - no flood mapping covers this suburb, so this is not a suburb-wide verdict.
Profile updated 3 October 2026.

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

Planning schematicCardiff Heights

Constraint readout

1.17 km² - this suburb is highly constrained on the overlays we could measure - no flood mapping covers this suburb, so this is not a suburb-wide verdict.

Flood overlay Not mapped

No flood mapping held for this area - not an all-clear

Bushfire-prone 68%

≈ council avg (65%) · #48 of 94 mapped council suburbs

Environmental3%

below council avg (35%) · #87 of 94 in council

Heritage sites 0 Aircraft seen below 3,000 ft 56% Mostly Low Density Residential Bushfire 48th most affected of 94 →

Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Cardiff Heights's boundary, with the bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top. Magenta is where aircraft were observed in the sampled period, brightest below 3,000 ft. No flood layer is drawn because we hold no flood mapping for this area.

Nearby suburbs, nearest first

Aircraft noise and flight paths over Cardiff 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

56%

of the suburb, at or below 10,000 ft

Below 3,000 ft

56%

of the suburb's area

Lowest measured

1,000 ft

averaging 2,500 ft

Busiest square

~1 a day

1 a day below 3,000 ft · ±27% · area average
typical observed square 1 a day

Night movements: observed, lowest 1,000 ft - night is sampled as often as day, but night traffic is light, so this is a floor and no rate can be put on it.

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.

Cardiff Heights at a glance

Parcels 489 Median lot 756 m² Mapped easements 2 Bus stops 35

How Cardiff Heights is zoned

Low Density Residential 55%

Environmental Living 35%

Primary Production Small Lots 4%

Environmental Conservation 3%

Public Recreation 2%

Transition 0%

Buying in Cardiff 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 1.17 km², Cardiff Heights is highly constrained by the planning overlays we hold. We hold no flood mapping covering this suburb, so no flood figure is shown - that is a gap in our data, not an all-clear. Of what is mapped, 68% is flagged bushfire-prone. The dominant land-use zone is Low Density Residential. The median lot measures about 756 m² across 489 parcels.

Who lives in Cardiff Heights

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

Population

1,384

usual residents, 2021

Median age

years

Median household income

$1,850

per week, Lake Macquarie suburb typical $1,636

Median rent

$380

per week, Lake Macquarie suburb typical $390

Median mortgage

$2,050

per month

Household size

2.4

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 9

most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Score 1048, and decile 8 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.

Relative disadvantage (IRSD) Decile 8

most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Age profile

Share of Cardiff Heights's 1,384 residents in each ABS age band.

0-4 5.1%

5-14 11.8%

15-19 5.5%

20-24 5.7%

25-34 10.7%

35-44 12.3%

45-54 12.3%

55-64 12.1%

65-74 11.0%

75-84 7.8%

85+ 5.9%

Population trend, 2001 to 2025

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

22,959 in 2001 to 25,569 in 2025, up 11%.

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.

Cardiff 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	Not 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 Cardiff 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 56% of Cardiff Heights. The report's Aircraft Overflight page narrows that to the address itself: how many aircraft a day, how low, and at what heights.

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

See what's in the $9 report →

Cardiff Heights planning - frequently asked

Is Cardiff Heights flood-prone?

We don't yet hold flood mapping covering Cardiff Heights, so this page can't say how much of the suburb is flood-affected - that is a gap in our data, not an indication that the suburb is free of flood risk. Lake Macquarie is the authority to check for flood mapping in this area.

Is Cardiff Heights bushfire-prone?

Around 68% of Cardiff Heights is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Lake Macquarie average of 65%.

Is Cardiff Heights under a flight path?

Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 56% of Cardiff Heights, and over about 56% at any altitude up to 10,000 ft, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 2 Oct 2026). The lowest measured aircraft was at 1,000 ft, with an average of 2,500 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 1 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 Cardiff Heights?

The dominant planning zone in Cardiff Heights is Low Density Residential, though the suburb also includes Environmental Living and Primary Production Small Lots.

Does Cardiff Heights have heritage-listed places?

No heritage-listed places are on record within Cardiff Heights.

What is the typical lot size in Cardiff Heights?

Across 489 surveyed parcels in Cardiff Heights, the median lot size is about 756 m². There are also 2 registered easements mapped in the suburb.

Does Cardiff Heights have a train station?

There is no train station inside Cardiff Heights itself. The suburb is served by 35 bus stops.

What is the population of Cardiff Heights?

At the 2021 Census Cardiff Heights had 1,384 usual residents, with a median age of 44 and an average household size of 2.4 people. The wider Glendale - Cardiff - Hillsborough statistical area, which contains Cardiff Heights, went from 22,959 people in 2001 to 25,569 in 2025, up 11%.

Is Cardiff Heights an advantaged suburb?

On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Cardiff Heights scores 1048 and sits in decile 9 of 10 nationally and decile 8 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).

What is the median household income in Cardiff Heights?

Median household income in Cardiff Heights was $1,850 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,636 for the typical suburb in Lake Macquarie. Median rent was $380 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,050 a month.

Compare nearby suburbs

Nearby suburb	Distance	Flood mapped	Bushfire-prone
Rankin Park Newcastle	1.1 km	2%	54%
Garden Suburb	1.8 km	Not mapped	69%
Elermore Vale Newcastle	1.8 km	3%	59%
Glendale	1.9 km	Not mapped	53%
Cardiff	1.9 km	Not mapped	22%
New Lambton Heights Newcastle	2.3 km	<1%	76%
Cardiff South	2.5 km	Not mapped	38%
Kotara Newcastle	2.7 km	22%	34%
Kotara South	2.9 km	3%	27%
Macquarie Hills	3.3 km	Not mapped	58%

See all Lake Macquarie suburb profiles →