Picketts Valley flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Picketts Valley
(Central Coast, NSW) - 1.75 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 3 October 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
1.75 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Picketts Valley'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 Picketts Valley
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 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.
Picketts Valley at a glance
How Picketts Valley is zoned
Buying in Picketts Valley? 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 1.75 km², Picketts Valley is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 14% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 85% is flagged bushfire-prone. The dominant land-use zone is Environmental Living. The median lot measures about 10,604 m² across 77 parcels.
Who lives in Picketts Valley
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Picketts Valley 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 1106, and decile 10 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Picketts Valley's 221 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Kincumber - Picketts Valley, the wider ABS statistical area containing Picketts Valley. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Picketts Valley itself.
7,319 in 2001 to 7,634 in 2025, up 4%.
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.
Picketts Valley 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 Picketts Valley 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 45% of Picketts Valley. 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 Picketts Valley lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Picketts Valley planning - frequently asked
Is Picketts Valley flood-prone?
About 14% of Picketts Valley falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 30%.
Is Picketts Valley bushfire-prone?
Around 85% of Picketts Valley is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Central Coast average of 69%.
Is Picketts Valley under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 45% of Picketts Valley, and over about 60% 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 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 Picketts Valley?
The dominant planning zone in Picketts Valley is Environmental Living, though the suburb also includes Environmental Conservation and Environmental Management.
Does Picketts Valley have heritage-listed places?
No heritage-listed places are on record within Picketts Valley.
What is the typical lot size in Picketts Valley?
Across 77 surveyed parcels in Picketts Valley, the median lot size is about 10,604 m². There are also 5 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Picketts Valley have a train station?
There is no train station inside Picketts Valley itself. The suburb is served by 4 bus stops.
What is the population of Picketts Valley?
At the 2021 Census Picketts Valley had 221 usual residents, with a median age of 42 and an average household size of 3.5 people. The wider Kincumber - Picketts Valley statistical area, which contains Picketts Valley, went from 7,319 people in 2001 to 7,634 in 2025, up 4%.
Is Picketts Valley an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Picketts Valley scores 1106 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 Picketts Valley?
Median household income in Picketts Valley was $2,971 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,735 for the typical suburb in Central Coast. Median rent was $1,025 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,500 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kincumber | 2.0 km | 29% | 76% |
| Terrigal | 2.3 km | 18% | 59% |
| Avoca Beach | 2.4 km | 25% | 64% |
| North Avoca | 2.6 km | 36% | 69% |
| Erina | 3.2 km | 24% | 56% |
| Erina Heights | 3.4 km | 9% | 59% |
| Green Point | 3.7 km | 52% | 49% |
| Yattalunga | 4.0 km | 38% | 90% |
| Kincumber South | 4.0 km | 66% | 56% |
| Copacabana | 4.2 km | 15% | 47% |