Metford flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Metford
(Maitland, NSW) - 3.06 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
3.06 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Metford'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 Metford
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: 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.
Metford at a glance
How Metford is zoned
Buying in Metford? 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 3.06 km², Metford is highly constrained by planning overlays. Flood mapping covers the suburb and none of it falls within a mapped flood overlay, and 41% is flagged bushfire-prone. The dominant land-use zone is General Residential. The median lot measures about 649 m² across 1,734 parcels.
Who lives in Metford
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Metford 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 889, and decile 1 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Metford's 4,707 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of East Maitland - Metford, the wider ABS statistical area containing Metford. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Metford itself.
14,674 in 2001 to 18,334 in 2025, up 25%.
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.
Metford 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 Metford 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 65% of Metford. 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 Metford lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Metford planning - frequently asked
Is Metford flood-prone?
Flood mapping covers Metford and none of the suburb falls within a mapped flood overlay (the council-wide suburb average is 50%).
Is Metford bushfire-prone?
Around 41% of Metford is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Maitland average of 80%.
Is Metford under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 65% of Metford, and over about 68% 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 500 ft, with an average of 3,000 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 Metford?
The dominant planning zone in Metford is General Residential, though the suburb also includes Rural Landscape and Public Recreation.
Does Metford have heritage-listed places?
No heritage-listed places are on record within Metford.
What is the typical lot size in Metford?
Across 1,734 surveyed parcels in Metford, the median lot size is about 649 m². There are also 3 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Metford have a train station?
There is no train station inside Metford itself. The suburb is served by 57 bus stops.
What is the population of Metford?
At the 2021 Census Metford had 4,707 usual residents, with a median age of 35 and an average household size of 2.6 people. The wider East Maitland - Metford statistical area, which contains Metford, went from 14,674 people in 2001 to 18,334 in 2025, up 25%.
Is Metford an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Metford scores 889 and sits in decile 1 of 10 nationally and decile 1 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Metford?
Median household income in Metford was $1,484 a week at the 2021 Census, against $2,015 for the typical suburb in Maitland. Median rent was $350 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,625 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ashtonfield | 1.6 km | Not mapped | 75% |
| Tenambit | 2.5 km | 26% | 34% |
| East Maitland | 2.5 km | 27% | 55% |
| Chisholm | 2.8 km | 20% | 43% |
| Thornton | 3.5 km | 23% | 70% |
| Morpeth | 4.2 km | 66% | 74% |
| Pitnacree | 4.2 km | 100% | 98% |
| Raworth | 4.5 km | 76% | 74% |
| South Maitland | 4.8 km | 100% | 70% |
| Beresfield Newcastle |
5.1 km | 24% | 38% |