Access consultant Sutherland Shire and St George: access reports and audits in Cronulla, Sutherland and Hurstville

The office is in Hurstville and Gary Finn lives in Cronulla, so Sutherland Shire and St George sites are close to home. Sydney Access Consultants provides the full range of access services locally: DA, CC and CDC reports, adaptable and livable housing reports, Performance Solutions, audits of existing buildings, completion inspections and certificates, SDA, and peer review. We work regularly across Sutherland Shire, Georges River, Bayside and Canterbury-Bankstown. These are local jobs, not travel jobs.

The statewide DA, CC and CDC detail sits on access reports for DA, CC and CDC. Call (02) 9586 3111.

Quick answer

Yes. Sydney Access Consultants is based at Suite 7/438 Forest Road, Hurstville, and principal Gary Finn, an Accredited Member of the Access Consultants Association (#435), lives in Cronulla. The practice covers Sutherland Shire, Georges River, Bayside and Canterbury-Bankstown with the same report standards used across NSW. Call (02) 9586 3111.

Local presence: honest and specific

The office is in Hurstville. Gary lives in Cronulla. We do not claim offices across the Shire. Plan assessment can start from drawings straight away. Site visits across the four council areas are short trips. We do not state a same-day turnaround.

Credentials: ACAA Accredited Member #435. See about. Gary Finn has completed the Livable Housing Design Guidelines assessor training (twice) and the Livable Housing Design Standard Assessor Course, and assesses designs against Livable Housing requirements where a DCP, consent condition or SDA brief calls for them.

What Sutherland Shire Council asks for

The controls below come from the Sutherland Shire DCP 2015 chapters on the council website, checked 4 November 2026. DCP controls change. We check the chapter in force when we take the job.

Adaptable and livable dwellings

Chapter 5 Multi Dwelling Housing, clause 8, and Chapter 6 Residential Flat Buildings, clauses 8.2 to 8.3:

Adaptable dwellings must meet AS 4299 Class C: none for 3 to 5 dwellings, and 20% for 6 or more.
Livable dwellings must meet the Livable Housing Design Guidelines Silver level, on top of the adaptable ones: 1 dwelling for 3 to 5 dwellings, and 10% for 6 or more.
Fractions of 0.5 or less round down.
Variations are considered where site conditions prevent compliance.

The report trigger in the same clauses: "An applicant will need to demonstrate compliance with the adaptable housing provisions. This may include a report prepared by an appropriately qualified person submitted with the development application." The report has to cover the chapter, the relevant Australian Standards (for example AS 1428) and the NCC.

Shop-top housing: the same 20% / livable rates appear in the centre chapters (for example Chapter 19 E2 Commercial Centre Cronulla, clause 14) and in Chapter 35 Other Uses, clause 9.3 for shop-top housing in R3. Cronulla, Miranda and Sutherland centre DAs are caught.

Parking and the pedestrian route

Chapter 36 Vehicular Access, Traffic, Parking and Bicycles, clause 4.4:

Adaptable housing parking is to AS 4299.
A double garage for an adaptable unit needs a minimum internal width of 6.2 m.
Accessible parking is provided as the BCA requires, with spaces no steeper than 1:40.
Where a driveway is the pedestrian route to an adaptable dwelling, it must be widened to give an AS 1428.1 accessible path, or accessible parking goes near the lift.

Chapter 35, health consulting rooms: access must comply with the BCA, AS 1428 and the DDA. That is relevant to medical fit-outs, including the Caringbah Medical Precinct in Chapter 9. See medical centre and clinic access reports.

The DCP notes that the Shire's population aged over 55 is above the Sydney average (Chapter 5/6, clause 8). That is why adaptable and seniors housing come up so often here.

What Georges River Council asks for (Hurstville, Kogarah and surrounds)

The controls below come from the Georges River DCP 2021, Amendment No. 6 (10 June 2024), Parts 3, 6.2 and 6.3, checked 4 November 2026.

Universal and accessible design

Part 3, section 3.17 Universal / Accessible Design: new building work should comply with the BCA and the Premises Standards, with continuous paths of travel from footpaths, accessible parking and set-down areas to entrances. Access to heritage buildings should be sympathetic to the building's significance. See heritage access and Performance Solutions.

Table 6 sets accessible parking rates by land use, for example commercial premises 1 to 2% of spaces, health facilities 3 to 4%, and 1 space per adaptable unit for medium and high density (AS 2890.6). See accessible car parking.

The access report trigger in section 3.17: "An access report, prepared by a relevantly qualified access consultant may be required" for (i) medium to high density residential with 10 or more dwellings; (ii) housing for aged people or people with disabilities; (iii) other development that must comply with the Premises Standards.

Medium density (Part 6.2.16)

Manor houses: at least one ground-floor dwelling to Livable Housing Design Guidelines Silver.
Terraces: 30% to Silver.
Multi dwelling housing: all dwellings with Silver features.
5 or more dwellings: at least 10% adaptable.

High density (Part 6.3.11)

Adaptable units are set on a sliding count to AS 4299-1995 (5 to 10 units: 1; 11 to 20: 2; and so on to 41 to 50: 5; 51+: 6 plus 10% of additional dwellings beyond 60). The units must be certified as adaptable, each with an accessible car space. A report from an appropriately qualified person demonstrating compliance is required. If the 51 to 60 unit band comes up, ask us how it is applied on your site.

Section 6.3.11 still names AS 1428.1-1993 and AS 1428.4-1993, and section 3.17 refers seniors housing to the 2004 Seniors SEPP. Both have been superseded. The Premises Standards now call up AS 1428.1:2021 from 29 July 2025. Seniors housing now sits in the Housing SEPP 2021. The report has to satisfy the DCP's wording and the instruments actually in force. See AS 1428.1.

Georges River's Statement of Environmental Effects guidance asks every application other than dwelling houses to show general accessibility (parking, access to and within the development, toilets).

Bayside and Canterbury-Bankstown

We work regularly in both areas (Rockdale, Arncliffe, Bexley, Brighton-Le-Sands, Mascot, Botany; Canterbury, Campsie, Lakemba, Belmore, Bankstown, Revesby), with the same report standards. We know these DCPs and apply them. We have not quoted percentages or clause numbers here because those controls need a fresh check against the current primary documents before they go on a page.

NSW-wide: the standard conditions of consent for residential development include an "Adaptable units" condition. Before a stage the council sets, the certifier must be given evidence that any adaptable dwellings in the approved plans comply with AS 4299. The timing is filled in case by case. It is not a fixed "before CC" rule.

Typical local projects

Class 2 residential and mixed-use developments: residential flat buildings and shop-top housing, including the adaptable and livable dwelling controls above. See apartment access reports and adaptable housing.
Childcare centres. See childcare access reports.
Public buildings: community, civic and club buildings, new and existing. See existing building access audits.
Churches and other places of worship. See places of worship.
Bars, restaurants and cafes. See restaurant and cafe access reports.
Shops and shopfront fit-outs, including changes of use. See change of use and fit-out.

And the full range of access work beyond these, from SDA to Performance Solutions. See SDA certification and Performance Solutions.

Recent local work

Georges River council area: access audit report on the design of a new Class 2 residential tower, covering NCC Part D4, the Premises Standards and AS 4299 Class C adaptable units, followed by a Performance Solution.
Sutherland Shire: access report for alterations and additions to existing licensed premises, then an access certificate on completion.
Georges River council area: completion inspection and access certificate for a place of worship with an assembly area and dining space, with two Performance Solutions: restricted access to a raised platform, and a management plan for movement between the assembly and dining areas.

Project descriptions are kept general to protect client confidentiality.

Services for Shire and St George projects

Access reports for DA, CC and CDC

A DA report is not a CC report. Reusing a DA PDF at CC is a common reason for an RFI. See DA, CC and CDC access reports, DA versus CC and what certifiers want.

Adaptable and livable housing reports for the DCP controls above

The page assesses designs against the Livable Housing Design Guidelines controls the DCPs name. See adaptable housing, livable housing and SDA versus livable versus adaptable.

On-site access audits of existing buildings

Cover affected part, prioritised findings and unjustifiable hardship. See existing building audits and unjustifiable hardship.

When a Performance Solution sits beside the report

It is a related commission, not an extra paragraph in the report. Steep Shire sites and older shopfront steps are the local hook. See Performance Solutions.

Where we work

All four are regular service areas.

Sutherland Shire: Cronulla, Caringbah, Miranda, Sutherland, Gymea, Kirrawee, Jannali, Sylvania, Engadine, Menai, Heathcote, Kurnell, Bundeena and surrounds.
Georges River: Hurstville, Kogarah, Penshurst, Mortdale, Oatley, Blakehurst, Beverly Hills and surrounds.
Bayside: Rockdale, Arncliffe, Bexley, Brighton-Le-Sands, Mascot, Botany and surrounds.
Canterbury-Bankstown: Canterbury, Campsie, Lakemba, Belmore, Bankstown, Revesby and surrounds.

See locations for the Mid North Coast and Perth.

How a local engagement works

Enquiry, drawings, plan assessment or site visit, draft findings, report, then coordination with the architect and certifier.

What to send: the drawing set for the stage; classification and a short project description; the council (Sutherland Shire, Georges River, Bayside or Canterbury-Bankstown) and the DCP chapter the planner named; consent conditions or the RFI; for an existing building, site access and any earlier reports.

We quote after we have seen the drawings. Call (02) 9586 3111. See access report cost.

Standards in force

NSW remains on NCC 2022 Amendment 2 until NSW adopts NCC 2025 on 1 May 2027. The Premises Standards, as amended, reference AS 1428.1:2021 from 29 July 2025.

Frequently asked questions

Is there an access consultant based in the Sutherland Shire or St George area?

Yes. Sydney Access Consultants is based at Suite 7/438 Forest Road, Hurstville, and principal Gary Finn, an Accredited Member of the Access Consultants Association (#435), lives in Cronulla. The practice provides the full range of access services across Sutherland Shire, Georges River, Bayside and Canterbury-Bankstown. Call (02) 9586 3111.

Does Sutherland Shire Council require an adaptable housing or access report with a DA?

For multi dwelling housing and residential flat buildings, the DCP says an applicant will need to demonstrate compliance with the adaptable housing provisions. That may include a report by an appropriately qualified person with the DA. Adaptable dwellings are AS 4299 Class C: none for 3 to 5 dwellings, and 20% for 6 or more. Livable dwellings at Silver sit on top of that.

Does Georges River Council require an access report for a Hurstville or Kogarah DA?

Section 3.17 says an access report prepared by a relevantly qualified access consultant may be required for medium to high density residential with 10 or more dwellings, housing for aged people or people with disabilities, and other development that must comply with the Premises Standards. High density Part 6.3.11 also requires a report demonstrating adaptable unit compliance.

Can you do an on-site access audit of a shop, cafe or club in Cronulla?

Yes. Cronulla is a short trip from Hurstville, and Gary lives in Cronulla. Audits cover the affected part, prioritised findings and, where relevant, unjustifiable hardship.

Which areas do you cover from Hurstville?

Sutherland Shire, Georges River, Bayside and Canterbury-Bankstown, all regularly.

What if the certifier asks for a Performance Solution?

That is a related commission, not a paragraph added to the access report. We prepare the Performance Solution and the evidence the certifier needs. See Performance Solutions.

Ask about a Sutherland Shire or St George report or audit on (02) 9586 3111.