Lewisham flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Lewisham
(Inner West, NSW) - 0.63 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is moderately constrained.
Profile updated 3 October 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
0.63 km² - this suburb is moderately constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Lewisham's boundary, with the flood, bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top. Amber hatching is the published aircraft noise (ANEF) contour. 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 Lewisham
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.
Inside an aircraft noise contour
5% of the suburb's land sits inside a published ANEF or airport-environs contour. Contours vary street by street, so whether a particular lot is inside one needs a property-level check.
Highest contour present
Under AS 2021, land between ANEF 20 and 25 is conditionally acceptable for houses, usually with noise attenuation built in. The contour is a forecast, not a measurement at any one house.
Contours held
- sydney_airport_anef
Observed overflight - sampled 4 Sep to 2 Oct 2026
typical observed square 7 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.
Lewisham at a glance
How Lewisham is zoned
Buying in Lewisham? 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 0.63 km², Lewisham is moderately constrained by planning overlays. About 16% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay. There are 31 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Low Density Residential. The median lot measures about 278 m² across 1,026 parcels.
Who lives in Lewisham
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Lewisham 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 1143, and decile 10 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Lewisham's 4,060 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Dulwich Hill - Lewisham, the wider ABS statistical area containing Lewisham. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Lewisham itself.
16,161 in 2001 to 18,826 in 2025, up 16%.
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.
Lewisham 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) | Inside a held contour | 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 Lewisham 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 Lewisham. 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 Lewisham. 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 Lewisham lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Lewisham planning - frequently asked
Is Lewisham flood-prone?
About 16% of Lewisham falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 12%. Published flood models are held over parts of Lewisham; the free check on the Flood Model Report page says whether one reaches a given address.
Is Lewisham bushfire-prone?
Bushfire mapping covers Lewisham and little to none of it is mapped as bushfire-prone.
Is Lewisham affected by aircraft noise?
About 5% of Lewisham sits inside a published aircraft noise contour, and the highest contour present is ANEF 20 - under AS 2021, land between ANEF 20 and 25 is conditionally acceptable for houses, usually with noise attenuation in the build. ANEF contours are forecasts published per airport and used to control noise-sensitive development; they are not a measurement at any one house, and a property can sit under a flight path and outside every contour.
Is Lewisham under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 100% of Lewisham, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 2 Oct 2026). The lowest measured aircraft was at 1,000 ft, with an average of 2,000 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 21 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 Lewisham?
The dominant planning zone in Lewisham is Low Density Residential, though the suburb also includes Infrastructure and High Density Residential.
Does Lewisham have heritage-listed places?
Lewisham has 31 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Lewisham?
Across 1,026 surveyed parcels in Lewisham, the median lot size is about 278 m².
Does Lewisham have a train station?
Yes - Lewisham has 2 train stations: Lewisham Station, Lewisham West Light Rail. It is also served by 32 bus stops.
What is the population of Lewisham?
At the 2021 Census Lewisham had 4,060 usual residents, with a median age of 34 and an average household size of 2.2 people. The wider Dulwich Hill - Lewisham statistical area, which contains Lewisham, went from 16,161 people in 2001 to 18,826 in 2025, up 16%.
Is Lewisham an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Lewisham scores 1143 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 Lewisham?
Median household income in Lewisham was $2,405 a week at the 2021 Census, against $2,452 for the typical suburb in Inner West. Median rent was $520 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,817 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petersham | 0.8 km | 10% | 0% |
| Summer Hill | 0.8 km | 21% | 0% |
| Dulwich Hill | 1.3 km | 13% | 0% |
| Leichhardt | 1.7 km | 7% | 0% |
| Stanmore | 1.7 km | Not mapped | 0% |
| Haberfield | 1.9 km | 31% | 0% |
| Marrickville | 2.0 km | 0% | 0% |
| Ashfield | 2.1 km | 25% | 0% |
| Enmore | 2.2 km | Not mapped | 0% |
| Hurlstone Park Canterbury-Bankstown |
2.3 km | 11% | 0% |