Sutton Forest flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Sutton Forest
(Wingecarribee, NSW) - 94.08 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
94.08 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Sutton Forest'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 Sutton Forest
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 0 a day
Night movements: observed, lowest 3,500 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.
Sutton Forest at a glance
How Sutton Forest is zoned
Buying in Sutton Forest? 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 94.08 km², Sutton Forest is highly constrained by planning overlays. Flood mapping covers the suburb and none of it falls within a mapped flood overlay, and 99% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 76 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Environmental Management. The median lot measures about 23,848 m² across 487 parcels.
Who lives in Sutton Forest
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Sutton Forest 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 1074, and decile 9 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Sutton Forest's 504 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Southern Highlands, the wider ABS statistical area containing Sutton Forest. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Sutton Forest itself.
5,551 in 2001 to 7,453 in 2025, up 34%.
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.
Sutton Forest 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 Sutton Forest 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.
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 Sutton Forest lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Sutton Forest planning - frequently asked
Is Sutton Forest flood-prone?
Flood mapping covers Sutton Forest and none of the suburb falls within a mapped flood overlay (the council-wide suburb average is 0%).
Is Sutton Forest bushfire-prone?
Around 99% of Sutton Forest is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Wingecarribee average of 90%.
Is Sutton Forest under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed over about 57% of Sutton Forest in the period sampled, but only above 3,000 ft - the lowest measured was 2,500 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 Sutton Forest?
The dominant planning zone in Sutton Forest is Environmental Management, though the suburb also includes Tourist and Infrastructure.
Does Sutton Forest have heritage-listed places?
Sutton Forest has 76 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Sutton Forest?
Across 487 surveyed parcels in Sutton Forest, the median lot size is about 23,848 m². There are also 14 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Sutton Forest have a train station?
There is no train station inside Sutton Forest itself. The suburb is served by 20 bus stops.
What is the population of Sutton Forest?
At the 2021 Census Sutton Forest had 504 usual residents, with a median age of 50 and an average household size of 2.5 people. The wider Southern Highlands statistical area, which contains Sutton Forest, went from 5,551 people in 2001 to 7,453 in 2025, up 34%.
Is Sutton Forest an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Sutton Forest scores 1074 and sits in decile 10 of 10 nationally and decile 9 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Sutton Forest?
Median household income in Sutton Forest was $2,069 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,958 for the typical suburb in Wingecarribee. Median rent was $300 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,859 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exeter | 5.2 km | 0% | 92% |
| New Berrima | 7.9 km | 0% | 50% |
| Werai | 8.4 km | 0% | 100% |
| Medway | 8.7 km | 0% | 100% |
| Belanglo | 9.0 km | 0% | 100% |
| Moss Vale | 9.7 km | <1% | 82% |
| Manchester Square | 10.5 km | 0% | 100% |
| Bundanoon | 11.3 km | 0% | 92% |
| Berrima | 11.9 km | 1% | 98% |
| Penrose | 12.6 km | 0% | 100% |