Cottonvale flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Cottonvale
(Tenterfield, NSW) - 9.81 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.
Constraint readout
9.81 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Cottonvale'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 Cottonvale
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
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.
Cottonvale at a glance
How Cottonvale is zoned
Buying in Cottonvale? 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 9.81 km², Cottonvale is highly constrained by planning overlays. Flood mapping covers the suburb and none of it falls within a mapped flood overlay, and 80% is flagged bushfire-prone. There is 1 heritage-listed site on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Primary Production. The median lot measures about 99,048 m² across 46 parcels.
Who lives in Cottonvale
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Cottonvale suburb boundary itself, not a wider region.
Socio-economic standing
ABS SEIFA 2021 ranks every Australian suburb. Decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth of the country, decile 10 the least.
Score 936, and decile 3 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Tenterfield, the wider ABS statistical area containing Cottonvale. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Cottonvale itself.
6,842 in 2001 to 7,188 in 2025, up 5%.
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.
Cottonvale 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 Cottonvale 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.
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 Cottonvale lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Cottonvale planning - frequently asked
Is Cottonvale flood-prone?
Flood mapping covers Cottonvale and less than 1% of the suburb falls within a mapped flood overlay (the council-wide suburb average is 1%).
Is Cottonvale bushfire-prone?
Around 80% of Cottonvale is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Tenterfield average of 99%.
Is Cottonvale under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed over about 8% of Cottonvale in the period sampled, but only above 3,000 ft - the lowest measured was 7,000 ft. 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 Cottonvale?
The dominant planning zone in Cottonvale is Primary Production.
Does Cottonvale have heritage-listed places?
Cottonvale has 1 heritage-listed place on record.
What is the typical lot size in Cottonvale?
Across 46 surveyed parcels in Cottonvale, the median lot size is about 99,048 m².
Is Cottonvale an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Cottonvale scores 936 and sits in decile 3 of 10 nationally and decile 3 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland | 7.1 km | 0% | 100% |
| Ruby Creek | 12.3 km | 0% | 100% |
| Liston | 16.2 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Amosfield | 17.5 km | 0% | 100% |
| Cullendore | 18.8 km | 0% | 100% |
| Wylie Creek | 20.1 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Undercliffe | 23.1 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Willsons Downfall | 25.0 km | 0% | 100% |
| Lower Acacia Creek | 27.7 km | <1% | 100% |
| Legume | 28.3 km | 0% | 100% |