North Arm Cove zoning & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of North Arm Cove
(Mid-Coast, NSW) - 48.42 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
48.42 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 North Arm Cove'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 North Arm Cove
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.
North Arm Cove at a glance
How North Arm Cove is zoned
Buying in North Arm Cove? 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 48.42 km², North Arm Cove 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, 95% is flagged bushfire-prone. The dominant land-use zone is Rural Landscape. The median lot measures about 780 m² across 4,030 parcels.
Who lives in North Arm Cove
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the North Arm Cove 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 970, and decile 4 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of North Arm Cove's 552 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Tea Gardens - Hawks Nest, the wider ABS statistical area containing North Arm Cove. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than North Arm Cove itself.
3,797 in 2001 to 5,786 in 2025, up 52%.
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.
North Arm Cove 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 North Arm Cove 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 North Arm Cove lot.
See what's in the $9 report →North Arm Cove planning - frequently asked
Is North Arm Cove flood-prone?
We don't yet hold flood mapping covering North Arm Cove, 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. Mid-Coast is the authority to check for flood mapping in this area.
Is North Arm Cove bushfire-prone?
Around 95% of North Arm Cove is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Mid-Coast average of 94%.
Is North Arm Cove under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed over about 18% of North Arm Cove in the period sampled, but only above 3,000 ft - the lowest measured was 2,000 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 North Arm Cove?
The dominant planning zone in North Arm Cove is Rural Landscape, though the suburb also includes Infrastructure and Village.
Does North Arm Cove have heritage-listed places?
No heritage-listed places are on record within North Arm Cove.
What is the typical lot size in North Arm Cove?
Across 4,030 surveyed parcels in North Arm Cove, the median lot size is about 780 m². There are also 5 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does North Arm Cove have a train station?
There is no train station inside North Arm Cove itself. The suburb is served by 18 bus stops.
What is the population of North Arm Cove?
At the 2021 Census North Arm Cove had 552 usual residents, with a median age of 56 and an average household size of 2.3 people. The wider Tea Gardens - Hawks Nest statistical area, which contains North Arm Cove, went from 3,797 people in 2001 to 5,786 in 2025, up 52%.
Is North Arm Cove an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), North Arm Cove scores 970 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 North Arm Cove?
Median household income in North Arm Cove was $1,272 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,204 for the typical suburb in Mid-Coast. Median rent was $340 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,950 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carrington | 4.8 km | Not mapped | 99% |
| Bundabah | 5.4 km | Not mapped | 96% |
| Pindimar | 5.6 km | Not mapped | 98% |
| Tahlee | 6.0 km | Not mapped | 99% |
| Tea Gardens | 7.7 km | Not mapped | 89% |
| The Branch | 7.9 km | Not mapped | 98% |
| Karuah Port Stephens |
8.5 km | 18% | 89% |
| Port Stephens Port Stephens |
8.7 km | 96% | 4% |
| Soldiers Point Port Stephens |
9.3 km | 26% | 23% |
| Lemon Tree Passage Port Stephens |
12.1 km | 34% | 69% |