Patchs Beach zoning & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Patchs Beach
(Ballina, NSW) - 2.58 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 26 September 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
2.58 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 Patchs Beach's boundary, with the bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top. No flood layer is drawn because we hold no flood mapping for this area.
Nearby suburbs, nearest first
Aircraft noise and flight paths over Patchs Beach
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 to
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.
Patchs Beach at a glance
How Patchs Beach is zoned
Buying in Patchs Beach? 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 2.58 km², Patchs Beach 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, 100% is flagged bushfire-prone. The dominant land-use zone is Rural Landscape. The median lot measures about 753 m² across 33 parcels.
Who lives in Patchs Beach
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Patchs Beach 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 977, and decile 4 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Ballina Surrounds, the wider ABS statistical area containing Patchs Beach. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Patchs Beach itself.
14,963 in 2001 to 19,370 in 2025, up 29%.
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.
Patchs Beach 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 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 Patchs Beach 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.
Building or pricing a slab? The $119 geotechnical desktop report covers geology, soils, bores and an indicative AS 2870 site class for a Patchs Beach lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Patchs Beach planning - frequently asked
Is Patchs Beach flood-prone?
We don't yet hold flood mapping covering Patchs Beach, 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. Ballina is the authority to check for flood mapping in this area.
Is Patchs Beach bushfire-prone?
Around 100% of Patchs Beach is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Ballina average of 68%.
Is Patchs Beach under a flight path?
No aircraft were observed over Patchs Beach in the period sampled (recent weeks to now). Sampling is intermittent, so that is a floor rather than proof that none fly over. 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 Patchs Beach?
The dominant planning zone in Patchs Beach is Rural Landscape, though the suburb also includes Deferred Matter and Primary Production.
Does Patchs Beach have heritage-listed places?
No heritage-listed places are on record within Patchs Beach.
What is the typical lot size in Patchs Beach?
Across 33 surveyed parcels in Patchs Beach, the median lot size is about 753 m². There are also 2 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Is Patchs Beach an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Patchs Beach scores 977 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).
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empire Vale | 2.8 km | Not mapped | 96% |
| East Wardell | 3.3 km | Not mapped | 95% |
| Pimlico Island | 3.6 km | Not mapped | 0% |
| Coolgardie | 5.9 km | Not mapped | 99% |
| Pimlico | 6.0 km | Not mapped | 94% |
| Cabbage Tree Island | 6.4 km | Not mapped | 63% |
| Goat Island | 6.9 km | Not mapped | 0% |
| Keith Hall | 7.0 km | Not mapped | 90% |
| Wardell | 7.0 km | 0% | 91% |
| South Ballina | 8.9 km | Not mapped | 64% |