West Beach flood map & planning overlays

A planning-constraint profile of West Beach (City of West Torrens, SA) - 4.31 km², mapped from live council and state overlay data. This suburb is moderately constrained.
Profile updated 26 September 2026.

Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.

Planning schematicWest Beach

Constraint readout

4.31 km² - this suburb is moderately constrained by planning overlays.

Flood overlay 9%

below council avg (32%) · #17 of 25 mapped council suburbs

Bushfire-prone 0%

· #1 of 25 mapped council suburbs

Environmental11%

22.6× council avg (0%) · #1 of 25 in council

Heritage sites 2 Noise corridor 51% Aircraft noise (ANEF) 51% Aircraft seen below 3,000 ft 88% Mostly Recreation Flood 17th most affected of 25 →

Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to West Beach'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 West Beach

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

51%

51% 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

ANEF 35

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

SA Planning and Design Code aircraft noise

Observed overflight - sampled 4 Sep to 26 Sep 2026

Under observed aircraft

88%

of the suburb, at or below 10,000 ft

Below 3,000 ft

88%

of the suburb's area

Lowest measured

500 ft

averaging 500 ft · ground movements recorded: on or beside an aerodrome

Busiest square

~183 a day

183 a day below 3,000 ft · ±6%
typical observed square 6 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.

West Beach at a glance

Parcels 2,789 Median lot 412 m² Bus stops 45

How West Beach is zoned

Recreation 22%

Commonwealth Facilities 19%

Suburban Neighbourhood 15%

General Neighbourhood 15%

Open Space 13%

Waterfront Neighbourhood 8%

Selling in West Beach? The zone and overlays on this page are the Planning and Design Code controls a Form 1 vendor's statement has to disclose.

Across its 4.31 km², West Beach is moderately constrained by planning overlays. About 9% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay. There are 2 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Recreation. The median lot measures about 412 m² across 2,789 parcels.

Who lives in West Beach

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

Population

5,175

usual residents, 2021

Median age

years

Median household income

$1,746

per week, City of West Torrens suburb typical $1,539

Median rent

$320

per week, City of West Torrens suburb typical $315

Median mortgage

$2,000

per month

Household size

2.4

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 9

most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Score 1050, and decile 9 within South Australia. The national average is 1000.

Relative disadvantage (IRSD) Decile 8

most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Age profile

Share of West Beach's 5,175 residents in each ABS age band.

0-4 4.8%

5-14 10.6%

15-19 5.4%

20-24 5.9%

25-34 10.7%

35-44 12.3%

45-54 14.0%

55-64 13.7%

65-74 10.7%

75-84 8.3%

85+ 3.6%

Population trend, 2001 to 2025

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

4,319 in 2001 to 5,487 in 2025, up 27%.

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 Beach 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	the South Australian Planning and Design Code and Location SA spatial data
Bushfire-prone mapping	Mapped	the South Australian Planning and Design Code and Location SA spatial data
Zoning	Mapped	the South Australian Planning and Design Code and Location SA spatial data
Heritage and environment	Mapped where published	the South Australian Planning and Design Code and Location SA spatial data
Aircraft noise contours (ANEF)	Inside a held contour	the South Australian Planning and Design Code and Location SA spatial data, 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 26 September 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 Beach 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 88% of West Beach. 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 West Beach lot.

See what's in the $9 report →

West Beach planning - frequently asked

Is West Beach flood-prone?

About 9% of West Beach falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 32%.

Is West Beach bushfire-prone?

Bushfire mapping covers West Beach and little to none of it is mapped as bushfire-prone.

Is West Beach affected by aircraft noise?

About 51% of West Beach sits inside a published aircraft noise contour, and the highest contour present is ANEF 35 - 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 West Beach under a flight path?

Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 88% of West Beach, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 26 Sep 2026). The lowest measured aircraft was at 500 ft, with an average of 500 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 183 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 Beach?

The dominant planning zone in West Beach is Recreation, though the suburb also includes Commonwealth Facilities and Suburban Neighbourhood.

Does West Beach have heritage-listed places?

West Beach has 2 heritage-listed places on record.

What is the typical lot size in West Beach?

Across 2,789 surveyed parcels in West Beach, the median lot size is about 412 m².

Does West Beach have a train station?

There is no train station inside West Beach itself. The suburb is served by 45 bus stops.

What is the population of West Beach?

At the 2021 Census West Beach had 5,175 usual residents, with a median age of 45 and an average household size of 2.4 people. The wider West Beach statistical area, which contains West Beach, went from 4,319 people in 2001 to 5,487 in 2025, up 27%.

Is West Beach an advantaged suburb?

On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), West Beach scores 1050 and sits in decile 9 of 10 nationally and decile 9 within South Australia (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).

What is the median household income in West Beach?

Median household income in West Beach was $1,746 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,539 for the typical suburb in City of West Torrens. Median rent was $320 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,000 a month.

Compare nearby suburbs

Nearby suburb	Distance	Flood mapped	Bushfire-prone
Henley Beach South City of Charles Sturt	2.0 km	24%	0%
Fulham	2.2 km	11%	0%
Adelaide Airport	2.2 km	42%	0%
Glenelg North City of Holdfast Bay	2.5 km	36%	0%
Novar Gardens	3.1 km	3%	0%
Lockleys	3.3 km	7%	0%
Fulham Gardens City of Charles Sturt	3.5 km	24%	0%
Henley Beach City of Charles Sturt	3.5 km	31%	0%
Brooklyn Park	3.6 km	29%	0%
Netley	3.6 km	35%	0%

See all City of West Torrens suburb profiles →