North Balgowlah flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of North Balgowlah
(Northern Beaches, NSW) - 1.13 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
1.13 km² - this suburb is moderately constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to North Balgowlah'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 North Balgowlah
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
typical observed square 4 a day
Night movements: observed, lowest 2,500 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.
North Balgowlah at a glance
How North Balgowlah is zoned
Buying in North Balgowlah? 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 1.13 km², North Balgowlah is moderately constrained by planning overlays. About 3% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 26% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 6 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Low Density Residential. The median lot measures about 567 m² across 1,167 parcels.
Who lives in North Balgowlah
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the North Balgowlah 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 1184, and decile 10 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of North Balgowlah's 3,816 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Manly Vale - Allambie Heights, the wider ABS statistical area containing North Balgowlah. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than North Balgowlah itself.
15,266 in 2001 to 17,944 in 2025, up 18%.
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 Balgowlah 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 North Balgowlah 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 94% of North Balgowlah. 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 North Balgowlah. 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 North Balgowlah lot.
See what's in the $9 report →North Balgowlah planning - frequently asked
Is North Balgowlah flood-prone?
About 3% of North Balgowlah falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 12%. Published flood models are held over parts of North Balgowlah; the free check on the Flood Model Report page says whether one reaches a given address.
Is North Balgowlah bushfire-prone?
Around 26% of North Balgowlah is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Northern Beaches average of 47%.
Is North Balgowlah under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 94% of North Balgowlah, and over about 100% 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 5,000 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 38 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 North Balgowlah?
The dominant planning zone in North Balgowlah is Low Density Residential, though the suburb also includes Public Recreation and Infrastructure.
Does North Balgowlah have heritage-listed places?
North Balgowlah has 6 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in North Balgowlah?
Across 1,167 surveyed parcels in North Balgowlah, the median lot size is about 567 m². There are also 11 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does North Balgowlah have a train station?
There is no train station inside North Balgowlah itself. The suburb is served by 48 bus stops.
What is the population of North Balgowlah?
At the 2021 Census North Balgowlah had 3,816 usual residents, with a median age of 39 and an average household size of 3.3 people. The wider Manly Vale - Allambie Heights statistical area, which contains North Balgowlah, went from 15,266 people in 2001 to 17,944 in 2025, up 18%.
Is North Balgowlah an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), North Balgowlah scores 1184 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 North Balgowlah?
Median household income in North Balgowlah was $4,212 a week at the 2021 Census, against $2,778 for the typical suburb in Northern Beaches. Median rent was $825 a week and the median mortgage repayment $4,005 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seaforth | 1.0 km | 2% | 37% |
| Balgowlah | 1.2 km | 11% | 8% |
| Manly Vale | 1.3 km | 28% | 23% |
| Middle Harbour Unincorporated - Sydney Harbour Area |
1.7 km | 0% | 29% |
| Allambie Heights | 2.0 km | 8% | 76% |
| North Manly | 2.1 km | 45% | 0% |
| Fairlight | 2.2 km | 14% | 0% |
| Clontarf | 2.3 km | 8% | 39% |
| Balgowlah Heights | 2.6 km | 2% | 48% |
| Queenscliff | 3.1 km | 13% | 0% |