New Brighton flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of New Brighton
(Byron, NSW) - 2.11 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 26 September 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
2.11 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to New Brighton'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 New Brighton
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 26 Sep 2026
typical observed square 1 a day
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.
New Brighton at a glance
How New Brighton is zoned
Buying in New Brighton? 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 2.11 km², New Brighton is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 69% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 71% is flagged bushfire-prone. There is 1 heritage-listed site on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Deferred Matter. The median lot measures about 772 m² across 311 parcels.
Who lives in New Brighton
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the New Brighton 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 1036, and decile 8 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of New Brighton's 368 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Brunswick Heads - Ocean Shores, the wider ABS statistical area containing New Brighton. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than New Brighton itself.
7,269 in 2001 to 9,765 in 2025, up 34%.
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.
New Brighton 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 26 September 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 New Brighton 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 60% of New Brighton. 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 New Brighton lot.
See what's in the $9 report →New Brighton planning - frequently asked
Is New Brighton flood-prone?
About 69% of New Brighton falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 22%.
Is New Brighton bushfire-prone?
Around 71% of New Brighton is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Byron average of 94%.
Is New Brighton under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 60% of New Brighton, and over about 82% at any altitude up to 10,000 ft, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 26 Sep 2026). The lowest measured aircraft was at 1,500 ft, with an average of 2,500 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 1 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 New Brighton?
The dominant planning zone in New Brighton is Deferred Matter, though the suburb also includes National Parks and Nature Reserves and Natural Waterways.
Does New Brighton have heritage-listed places?
New Brighton has 1 heritage-listed place on record.
What is the typical lot size in New Brighton?
Across 311 surveyed parcels in New Brighton, the median lot size is about 772 m². There are also 1 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
What is the population of New Brighton?
At the 2021 Census New Brighton had 368 usual residents, with a median age of 45 and an average household size of 2.4 people. The wider Brunswick Heads - Ocean Shores statistical area, which contains New Brighton, went from 7,269 people in 2001 to 9,765 in 2025, up 34%.
Is New Brighton an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), New Brighton scores 1036 and sits in decile 8 of 10 nationally and decile 8 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in New Brighton?
Median household income in New Brighton was $1,634 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,634 for the typical suburb in Byron. Median rent was $600 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,600 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ocean Shores | 1.6 km | 54% | 81% |
| South Golden Beach | 2.1 km | 89% | 67% |
| Billinudgel | 3.5 km | 30% | 100% |
| Brunswick Heads | 4.5 km | 58% | 95% |
| Mullumbimby | 6.2 km | 54% | 92% |
| Yelgun | 6.8 km | 9% | 100% |
| Wooyung Tweed |
7.6 km | 76% | 98% |
| The Pocket | 8.0 km | 13% | 100% |
| Middle Pocket | 8.4 km | 8% | 100% |
| Crabbes Creek Tweed |
8.9 km | 22% | 100% |