Empire Vale zoning & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Empire Vale
(Ballina, NSW) - 15.06 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.
Constraint readout
15.06 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.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Empire Vale'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 Empire Vale
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.
Empire Vale at a glance
How Empire Vale is zoned
Buying in Empire Vale? 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 15.06 km², Empire Vale 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, 96% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 2 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Primary Production. The median lot measures about 9,021 m² across 117 parcels.
Who lives in Empire Vale
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Empire Vale 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 977, and decile 4 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Empire Vale's 185 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Ballina Surrounds, the wider ABS statistical area containing Empire Vale. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Empire Vale itself.
14,963 in 2001 to 19,370 in 2025, up 29%.
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.
Empire Vale 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 Empire Vale 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 2% of Empire Vale. 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 Empire Vale lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Empire Vale planning - frequently asked
Is Empire Vale flood-prone?
We don't yet hold flood mapping covering Empire Vale, 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. Ballina is the authority to check for flood mapping in this area.
Is Empire Vale bushfire-prone?
Around 96% of Empire Vale is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Ballina average of 68%.
Is Empire Vale under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 2% of Empire Vale, and over about 12% 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 1,500 ft, with an average of 6,000 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 Empire Vale?
The dominant planning zone in Empire Vale is Primary Production, though the suburb also includes Deferred Matter and Natural Waterways.
Does Empire Vale have heritage-listed places?
Empire Vale has 2 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Empire Vale?
Across 117 surveyed parcels in Empire Vale, the median lot size is about 9,021 m².
What is the population of Empire Vale?
At the 2021 Census Empire Vale had 185 usual residents, with a median age of 48 and an average household size of 2.7 people. The wider Ballina Surrounds statistical area, which contains Empire Vale, went from 14,963 people in 2001 to 19,370 in 2025, up 29%.
Is Empire Vale an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Empire Vale scores 977 and sits in decile 5 of 10 nationally and decile 4 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Empire Vale?
Median household income in Empire Vale was $1,428 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,812 for the typical suburb in Ballina. Median rent was $520 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,613 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pimlico Island | 2.4 km | Not mapped | 0% |
| Patchs Beach | 2.8 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Pimlico | 3.6 km | Not mapped | 94% |
| Keith Hall | 4.3 km | Not mapped | 90% |
| Coolgardie | 5.4 km | Not mapped | 99% |
| East Wardell | 5.7 km | Not mapped | 95% |
| South Ballina | 6.4 km | Not mapped | 64% |
| Uralba | 7.0 km | Not mapped | 96% |
| West Ballina | 7.1 km | Not mapped | 74% |
| Wardell | 8.6 km | 0% | 91% |