West Pennant Hills flood map & planning overlays

A planning-constraint profile of West Pennant Hills (The Hills Shire, NSW) - 9.41 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.

Planning schematicWest Pennant Hills

Constraint readout

9.41 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.

Flood overlay 0%

below council avg (9%) · #17 of 23 mapped council suburbs

Modelled flood depth held over parts of West Pennant Hills

Bushfire-prone 36%

below council avg (62%) · #16 of 23 mapped council suburbs

Environmental13%

2.2× council avg (6%) · #4 of 23 in council

Heritage sites 24 Aircraft seen below 3,000 ft 79% Mostly Low Density Residential Bushfire 16th most affected of 23 →

Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to West Pennant Hills'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 West Pennant Hills

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

Under observed aircraft

100%

of the suburb, at or below 10,000 ft

Below 3,000 ft

79%

of the suburb's area

Lowest measured

500 ft

averaging 3,500 ft

Busiest square

~15 a day

7 a day below 3,000 ft · ±22%
typical observed square 7 a day

Night movements: observed, lowest 1,500 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.

West Pennant Hills at a glance

Parcels 5,637 Median lot 902 m² Mapped easements 99 Bus stops 293 Landslide overlay 7%

How West Pennant Hills is zoned

Low Density Residential 62%

Environmental Conservation 13%

Environmental Living 9%

Public Recreation 6%

Forestry 4%

High Density Residential 3%

Buying in West Pennant Hills? 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 9.41 km², West Pennant Hills is highly constrained by planning overlays. Flood mapping covers the suburb and none of it falls within a mapped flood overlay, and 36% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 24 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Low Density Residential. The median lot measures about 902 m² across 5,637 parcels.

Who lives in West Pennant Hills

Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the West Pennant Hills suburb boundary itself, not a wider region.

Population

16,620

usual residents, 2021

Median age

years

Median household income

$3,078

per week, The Hills Shire suburb typical $2,650

Median rent

$641

per week, The Hills Shire suburb typical $560

Median mortgage

$3,033

per month

Household size

3.1

people, average

Socio-economic standing

ABS SEIFA 2021 ranks every Australian suburb. Decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth of the country, decile 10 the least.

Advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD) Decile 10

most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Score 1156, and decile 10 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.

Relative disadvantage (IRSD) Decile 10

most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Age profile

Share of West Pennant Hills's 16,620 residents in each ABS age band.

0-4 4.7%

5-14 13.6%

15-19 6.6%

20-24 6.1%

25-34 8.1%

35-44 12.8%

45-54 13.4%

55-64 14.8%

65-74 12.9%

75-84 5.3%

85+ 1.8%

Population trend, 2001 to 2025

Estimated resident population of West Pennant Hills, the wider ABS statistical area containing West Pennant Hills. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than West Pennant Hills itself.

13,217 in 2001 to 12,534 in 2025, down 5%.

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.

West Pennant Hills 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 West Pennant Hills 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 79% of West Pennant Hills. 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 West Pennant Hills. 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 West Pennant Hills lot.

See what's in the $9 report →

West Pennant Hills planning - frequently asked

Is West Pennant Hills flood-prone?

Flood mapping covers West Pennant Hills and none of the suburb falls within a mapped flood overlay (the council-wide suburb average is 9%). Published flood models are held over parts of West Pennant Hills; the free check on the Flood Model Report page says whether one reaches a given address.

Is West Pennant Hills bushfire-prone?

Around 36% of West Pennant Hills is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a The Hills Shire average of 62%.

Is West Pennant Hills under a flight path?

Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 79% of West Pennant Hills, and over about 100% 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 3,500 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 15 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 West Pennant Hills?

The dominant planning zone in West Pennant Hills is Low Density Residential, though the suburb also includes Environmental Conservation and Environmental Living.

Does West Pennant Hills have heritage-listed places?

West Pennant Hills has 24 heritage-listed places on record.

What is the typical lot size in West Pennant Hills?

Across 5,637 surveyed parcels in West Pennant Hills, the median lot size is about 902 m². There are also 99 registered easements mapped in the suburb.

Does West Pennant Hills have a train station?

There is no train station inside West Pennant Hills itself. The suburb is served by 293 bus stops.

What is the population of West Pennant Hills?

At the 2021 Census West Pennant Hills had 16,620 usual residents, with a median age of 43 and an average household size of 3.1 people. The wider West Pennant Hills statistical area, which contains West Pennant Hills, went from 13,217 people in 2001 to 12,534 in 2025, down 5%.

Is West Pennant Hills an advantaged suburb?

On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), West Pennant Hills scores 1156 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 West Pennant Hills?

Median household income in West Pennant Hills was $3,078 a week at the 2021 Census, against $2,650 for the typical suburb in The Hills Shire. Median rent was $641 a week and the median mortgage repayment $3,033 a month.

Compare nearby suburbs

Nearby suburb	Distance	Flood mapped	Bushfire-prone
Beecroft Hornsby	2.7 km	0%	28%
Cherrybrook Hornsby	3.1 km	0%	40%
Carlingford City Of Parramatta	3.2 km	0%	11%
North Rocks City Of Parramatta	3.4 km	0%	48%
Castle Hill	3.7 km	0%	19%
Pennant Hills Hornsby	3.7 km	0%	65%
Cheltenham Hornsby	4.2 km	0%	44%
Baulkham Hills	4.7 km	0%	13%
Epping City Of Parramatta	4.9 km	0%	7%
Northmead City Of Parramatta	5.1 km	0%	22%

See all The Hills Shire suburb profiles →