Property Report / Areas / Willoughby / North Willoughby

North Willoughby zoning & planning overlays

A planning-constraint profile of North Willoughby (Willoughby, NSW) - 0.93 km², mapped from live council and state overlay data. This suburb is relatively unconstrained 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.

Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to North Willoughby'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 Willoughby

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.

North Willoughby at a glance

Parcels 1,248 Median lot 555 m² Mapped easements 4 Bus stops 39

How North Willoughby is zoned

Low Density Residential 79%
Medium Density Residential 10%
Private Recreation 4%
Local Centre 4%
Infrastructure 3%
Public Recreation 0%

Buying in North Willoughby? 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 0.93 km², North Willoughby is relatively unconstrained 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. There are 23 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Low Density Residential. The median lot measures about 555 m² across 1,248 parcels.

Who lives in North Willoughby

Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the North Willoughby suburb boundary itself, not a wider region.

Population
4,161
usual residents, 2021
Median age
40
years
Median household income
$2,488
per week, Willoughby suburb typical $3,196
Median rent
$590
per week, Willoughby suburb typical $671
Median mortgage
$3,275
per month
Household size
2.7
people, average

Socio-economic standing

ABS SEIFA 2021 ranks every Australian suburb. Decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth of the country, decile 10 the least.

Advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD) Decile 10
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Score 1125, and decile 10 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.

Relative disadvantage (IRSD) Decile 9
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Age profile

Share of North Willoughby's 4,161 residents in each ABS age band.

0-4 5.7%
5-14 16.0%
15-19 5.6%
20-24 4.9%
25-34 9.3%
35-44 15.8%
45-54 15.2%
55-64 11.2%
65-74 8.4%
75-84 5.5%
85+ 2.4%

Population trend, 2001 to 2025

Estimated resident population of Willoughby, the wider ABS statistical area containing North Willoughby. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than North Willoughby itself.

11,270 in 2001 to 13,771 in 2025, up 22%.

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 Willoughby data sources and coverage

“Not mapped” means we hold no source layer for this suburb - never an all-clear.

DatasetCoveragePublisher
Flood mappingNot mappedNSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies
Bushfire-prone mappingMappedNSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies
ZoningMappedNSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies
Heritage and environmentMapped where publishedNSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies
Aircraft noise contours (ANEF)Not heldNSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies, Defence
Observed flight pathsObservedadsb.lol, under the Open Database License
DemographicsAvailableAustralian 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 Willoughby 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 96% of North Willoughby. 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 Willoughby. 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 Willoughby lot.

See what's in the $9 report →

North Willoughby planning - frequently asked

Is North Willoughby flood-prone?

We don't yet hold flood mapping covering North Willoughby, 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. Willoughby is the authority to check for flood mapping in this area. Published flood models are held over parts of North Willoughby; the free check on the Flood Model Report page says whether one reaches a given address.

Is North Willoughby bushfire-prone?

Bushfire mapping covers North Willoughby and little to none of it is mapped as bushfire-prone (the Willoughby average is 26%).

Is North Willoughby under a flight path?

Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 96% of North Willoughby, 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 1,000 ft, with an average of 4,000 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 5 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 Willoughby?

The dominant planning zone in North Willoughby is Low Density Residential, though the suburb also includes Medium Density Residential and Private Recreation.

Does North Willoughby have heritage-listed places?

North Willoughby has 23 heritage-listed places on record.

What is the typical lot size in North Willoughby?

Across 1,248 surveyed parcels in North Willoughby, the median lot size is about 555 m². There are also 4 registered easements mapped in the suburb.

Does North Willoughby have a train station?

There is no train station inside North Willoughby itself. The suburb is served by 39 bus stops.

What is the population of North Willoughby?

At the 2021 Census North Willoughby had 4,161 usual residents, with a median age of 40 and an average household size of 2.7 people. The wider Willoughby statistical area, which contains North Willoughby, went from 11,270 people in 2001 to 13,771 in 2025, up 22%.

Is North Willoughby an advantaged suburb?

On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), North Willoughby scores 1125 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 Willoughby?

Median household income in North Willoughby was $2,488 a week at the 2021 Census, against $3,196 for the typical suburb in Willoughby. Median rent was $590 a week and the median mortgage repayment $3,275 a month.

Compare nearby suburbs

Nearby suburbDistanceFlood mappedBushfire-prone
Willoughby East 0.6 km Not mapped 0%
Middle Cove 1.1 km Not mapped 74%
Willoughby 1.2 km Not mapped <1%
Castle Cove 1.5 km Not mapped 73%
Chatswood 1.8 km Not mapped 13%
Castlecrag 1.9 km Not mapped 44%
Roseville
Ku-Ring-Gai
2.0 km 3% 14%
Roseville Chase
Ku-Ring-Gai
2.3 km 6% 48%
Artarmon 2.3 km Not mapped 6%
Northbridge 2.4 km Not mapped 29%

See all Willoughby suburb profiles →