Howards Grass flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Howards Grass
(Lismore, NSW) - 2.58 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
2.58 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Howards Grass'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 Howards Grass
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.
Howards Grass at a glance
How Howards Grass is zoned
Buying in Howards Grass? 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 2.58 km², Howards Grass is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 84% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 10% is flagged bushfire-prone. The dominant land-use zone is Primary Production. The median lot measures about 1,448 m² across 53 parcels.
Who lives in Howards Grass
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Howards Grass 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 987, and decile 5 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Howards Grass's 78 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Lismore, the wider ABS statistical area containing Howards Grass. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Howards Grass itself.
16,516 in 2001 to 13,679 in 2025, down 17%.
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.
Howards Grass 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 Howards Grass 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 Howards Grass lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Howards Grass planning - frequently asked
Is Howards Grass flood-prone?
About 84% of Howards Grass falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 46%.
Is Howards Grass bushfire-prone?
Around 10% of Howards Grass is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Lismore average of 33%.
Is Howards Grass under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed over about 11% of Howards Grass in the period sampled, but only above 3,000 ft - the lowest measured was 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 Howards Grass?
The dominant planning zone in Howards Grass is Primary Production, though the suburb also includes Natural Waterways and General Residential.
Does Howards Grass have heritage-listed places?
No heritage-listed places are on record within Howards Grass.
What is the typical lot size in Howards Grass?
Across 53 surveyed parcels in Howards Grass, the median lot size is about 1,448 m². There are also 2 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
What is the population of Howards Grass?
At the 2021 Census Howards Grass had 78 usual residents, with a median age of 48 and an average household size of 2.6 people. The wider Lismore statistical area, which contains Howards Grass, went from 16,516 people in 2001 to 13,679 in 2025, down 17%.
Is Howards Grass an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Howards Grass scores 987 and sits in decile 6 of 10 nationally and decile 5 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Howards Grass?
Median household income in Howards Grass was $1,850 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,458 for the typical suburb in Lismore. Median rent was $415 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,733 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lismore Heights | 1.6 km | 8% | 22% |
| Lagoon Grass | 1.9 km | 66% | 5% |
| North Lismore | 2.3 km | 45% | 17% |
| Lismore | 2.4 km | 53% | 22% |
| Woodlawn | 3.2 km | 43% | 16% |
| Girards Hill | 3.8 km | 27% | 22% |
| East Lismore | 4.0 km | 21% | 33% |
| Richmond Hill | 4.2 km | 30% | 28% |
| Tullera | 4.3 km | 0% | 34% |
| Goonellabah | 4.7 km | <1% | 34% |