Skennars Head zoning & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Skennars Head
(Ballina, NSW) - 7.5 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 3 October 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
7.5 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 Skennars Head'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 Skennars Head
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
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.
Skennars Head at a glance
How Skennars Head is zoned
Buying in Skennars Head? 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 7.5 km², Skennars Head 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, 86% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 2 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Deferred Matter. The median lot measures about 695 m² across 632 parcels.
Who lives in Skennars Head
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Skennars Head 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 1040, and decile 8 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Skennars Head's 1,303 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Lennox Head - Skennars Head, the wider ABS statistical area containing Skennars Head. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Skennars Head itself.
6,134 in 2001 to 10,282 in 2025, up 68%.
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.
Skennars Head 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 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 Skennars Head 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 5% of Skennars Head. 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 Skennars Head lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Skennars Head planning - frequently asked
Is Skennars Head flood-prone?
We don't yet hold flood mapping covering Skennars Head, 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 Skennars Head bushfire-prone?
Around 86% of Skennars Head is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Ballina average of 68%.
Is Skennars Head under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 5% of Skennars Head, and over about 11% 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 5,000 ft. 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 Skennars Head?
The dominant planning zone in Skennars Head is Deferred Matter, though the suburb also includes Rural Landscape and Primary Production.
Does Skennars Head have heritage-listed places?
Skennars Head has 2 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Skennars Head?
Across 632 surveyed parcels in Skennars Head, the median lot size is about 695 m².
Does Skennars Head have a train station?
There is no train station inside Skennars Head itself. The suburb is served by 4 bus stops.
What is the population of Skennars Head?
At the 2021 Census Skennars Head had 1,303 usual residents, with a median age of 47 and an average household size of 2.5 people. The wider Lennox Head - Skennars Head statistical area, which contains Skennars Head, went from 6,134 people in 2001 to 10,282 in 2025, up 68%.
Is Skennars Head an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Skennars Head scores 1040 and sits in decile 8 of 10 nationally and decile 8 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Skennars Head?
Median household income in Skennars Head was $1,674 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,812 for the typical suburb in Ballina. Median rent was $550 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,297 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ballina | 2.4 km | Not mapped | 58% |
| East Ballina | 2.9 km | Not mapped | 50% |
| Lennox Head | 4.6 km | Not mapped | 77% |
| Cumbalum | 5.7 km | Not mapped | 76% |
| South Ballina | 5.9 km | Not mapped | 64% |
| Kinvara | 5.9 km | Not mapped | 96% |
| West Ballina | 7.5 km | Not mapped | 74% |
| Keith Hall | 7.8 km | Not mapped | 90% |
| Tintenbar | 8.9 km | Not mapped | 77% |
| Knockrow | 9.2 km | Not mapped | 59% |