Richmond Lowlands flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Richmond Lowlands
(Hawkesbury, NSW) - 7.66 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
7.66 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Richmond Lowlands's boundary, with the flood, bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top. Amber hatching is the published aircraft noise (ANEF) contour. 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 Richmond Lowlands
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.
Inside an aircraft noise contour
15% of the suburb's land sits inside a published ANEF or airport-environs contour. Contours vary street by street, so whether a particular lot is inside one needs a property-level check.
Highest contour present
Under AS 2021, land at ANEF 30 and above is generally unacceptable for new houses and most noise-sensitive uses. The contour is a forecast, not a measurement at any one house.
Contours held
- Defence Airfields ANEF
Observed overflight - sampled 4 Sep to 2 Oct 2026
typical observed square 1 a day
Night movements: observed, lowest 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.
Richmond Lowlands at a glance
How Richmond Lowlands is zoned
Buying in Richmond Lowlands? 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 7.66 km², Richmond Lowlands is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 100% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 89% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 9 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Rural Landscape. The median lot measures about 100,940 m² across 61 parcels.
Who lives in Richmond Lowlands
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Richmond Lowlands 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 1016, and decile 7 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Richmond - Clarendon, the wider ABS statistical area containing Richmond Lowlands. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Richmond Lowlands itself.
13,660 in 2001 to 16,743 in 2025, up 23%.
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.
Richmond Lowlands 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) | Inside a held contour | 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 Richmond Lowlands 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 89% of Richmond Lowlands. 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 Richmond Lowlands. 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 Richmond Lowlands lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Richmond Lowlands planning - frequently asked
Is Richmond Lowlands flood-prone?
About 100% of Richmond Lowlands falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 24%. Published flood models are held over parts of Richmond Lowlands; the free check on the Flood Model Report page says whether one reaches a given address.
Is Richmond Lowlands bushfire-prone?
Around 89% of Richmond Lowlands is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Hawkesbury average of 84%.
Is Richmond Lowlands affected by aircraft noise?
About 15% of Richmond Lowlands sits inside a published aircraft noise contour, and the highest contour present is ANEF 30 - under AS 2021, land above ANEF 25 is generally considered unacceptable for new houses, and 20-25 conditionally acceptable with noise attenuation. ANEF contours are forecasts published per airport and used to control noise-sensitive development; they are not a measurement at any one house, and a property can sit under a flight path and outside every contour.
Is Richmond Lowlands under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 89% of Richmond Lowlands, and over about 91% 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 1,500 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 14 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 Richmond Lowlands?
The dominant planning zone in Richmond Lowlands is Rural Landscape, though the suburb also includes Special Activities and Public Recreation.
Does Richmond Lowlands have heritage-listed places?
Richmond Lowlands has 9 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Richmond Lowlands?
Across 61 surveyed parcels in Richmond Lowlands, the median lot size is about 100,940 m². There are also 1 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
What is the population of Richmond Lowlands?
At the 2021 Census Richmond Lowlands had 55 usual residents, with a median age of 34 and an average household size of 3.4 people. The wider Richmond - Clarendon statistical area, which contains Richmond Lowlands, went from 13,660 people in 2001 to 16,743 in 2025, up 23%.
Is Richmond Lowlands an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Richmond Lowlands scores 1016 and sits in decile 7 of 10 nationally and decile 7 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Richmond Lowlands?
Median household income in Richmond Lowlands was $2,749 a week at the 2021 Census, against $2,160 for the typical suburb in Hawkesbury. Median rent was $490 a week and the median mortgage repayment $5,000 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hobartville | 2.7 km | 10% | 4% |
| North Richmond | 3.3 km | 11% | 83% |
| Richmond | 3.6 km | 56% | 64% |
| Clarendon | 5.0 km | 100% | 29% |
| Tennyson | 5.4 km | 0% | 98% |
| Freemans Reach | 5.4 km | 43% | 50% |
| Kurmond | 5.5 km | 0% | 91% |
| Agnes Banks Penrith |
5.5 km | 46% | 76% |
| Cornwallis | 5.6 km | 100% | 22% |
| Grose Vale | 6.4 km | 0% | 100% |