Specialists In Swimming Pools & Landscape Designs On Slopes & Large Acreage Blocks
Landscape Design +
Project Management
Class 2 DA Landscape Documentation NSW
Coordinated landscape documentation for apartment and multi‑level residential Development Applications, where external works must align across architecture, civil, planning and assessmen
Class 2 apartment developments (as defined under the National Construction Code) require landscape documentation that supports Development Applications where the external environment needs to be coordinated across architecture, civil engineering, planning and assessment.
This sits within our broader Landscape Documentation for Residential Developments NSW service, where we support residential development projects that require clear consultant alignment, legible site relationships and consistent documentation for assessment.
In Class 2 apartment developments, the pressure is rarely the landscape scope in isolation. The critical issues usually sit at the interfaces — podium edges, ground planes, access points, deep soil zones, levels, basement structures and boundaries.
Where these relationships are not aligned across the DA set, RFIs, clarification requests and redesign often follow. Our role is to prepare landscape documentation that helps the apartment development read as a coherent whole.
Class 2 apartment developments are not townhouse projects scaled up
Class 2 apartment developments operate under a different assessment reality to low‑rise or townhouse projects.
Multi‑level residential buildings often introduce podium structures, basements, shared access conditions, communal open space, constrained deep soil zones and more complex relationships between structure, services and ground plane.
Landscape documentation that is treated as a scaled‑up townhouse package is often where misalignment becomes visible. Podium landscapes drawn without resolved levels, deep soil areas shown where structure or services dominate, or boundary interfaces interpreted differently across drawings can all trigger clarification during assessment.
DA landscape documentation and Class 2 coordination
For Class 2 apartment and multi‑level residential developments, landscape documentation is reviewed as part of a broader consultant package.
The landscape scope needs to align with architectural layouts, civil levels, structural conditions, access arrangements and planning expectations. Where these inputs describe the same external environment differently, assessment friction is likely.
This page focuses on Development Application landscape documentation. It does not replace building, engineering or Class 2 practitioner compliance inputs, but helps ensure the external works are represented consistently within the DA package.
Why coordination at the landscape level matters in Class 2 apartment DAs
In apartment developments, landscape documentation is reviewed through the lens of how the site functions externally.
This includes how residents, vehicles, services and stormwater interact with podiums, basements, entries, communal spaces, deep soil zones and boundary conditions.
When these relationships are not coordinated early, issues often emerge during assessment rather than during design. The role of landscape documentation is to make those relationships legible before they become clarification items
Common coordination pressures in Class 2 apartment landscape documentation
From experience, coordination issues most commonly arise where the ground plane and built form are described differently across consultant drawings.
Common pressure points include:
-
podium landscapes shown without resolved levels or structural coordination
-
deep soil zones competing with basements, services or built form
-
communal open space requiring clearer relationship to access and amenity
-
civil levels and landscape intent not aligning at entries, ramps or thresholds
-
boundaries, retaining or edge conditions being interpreted differently across disciplines
-
service zones, fire access or maintenance access affecting landscape outcomes
This becomes more important where the apartment site is affected by additional constraints. In Class 2 and multi‑level residential projects, this may include heritage‑affected developments, flood‑affected sites, bushfire‑prone land or mine subsidence‑affected areas, where site conditions and planning controls add another layer of scrutiny to how external works are read.
How we approach Class 2 DA landscape documentation
We approach Class 2 landscape documentation as part of the broader DA coordination process, not as an isolated landscape package.
The focus is on how external works are interpreted across the consultant set. This includes ground plane relationships, access, podium conditions, deep soil, communal areas, levels, boundaries and service interfaces.
The aim is to prepare drawings that are proportionate to the DA stage and can be assessed without excessive cross‑checking, assumption or reinterpretation.
Landscape documentation within the Development Application
At DA stage, landscape documentation supports assessment by explaining how the apartment development functions externally.
This includes how residents and visitors move through the site, how shared outdoor areas relate to built form, and how the development interfaces with adjoining properties. For multi‑level residential and apartment developments, clarity at the ground plane and podium level is critical.
Our focus is on showing enough, clearly enough, so intent can be assessed without over‑specification or ambiguity.
Post‑approval and certification stages
Following DA approval, landscape documentation often requires refinement to respond to conditions, updated consultant inputs or certification requirements.
Where we remain involved, our role is to maintain continuity between the approved DA drawings and subsequent documentation, including certification stages. The emphasis shifts from understanding to verification and alignment, ensuring changes to civil, access or fire strategy do not unintentionally alter approved external works.
Projects with strong DA‑stage coordination typically move through certification with fewer clarifications and less rework.
Working alongside the consultant team
We work closely with architects, civil engineers, traffic consultants, planners and project managers on Class 2 apartment developments.
Our documentation is prepared with peer review and council scrutiny in mind, recognising that drawings are tested from multiple directions, not only by assessment officers.
Breakdowns in apartment DAs most often occur due to timing gaps between disciplines, undocumented assumptions or unclear scope boundaries. Our role is to reduce this friction and provide a steady point of coordination throughout the Development Application process.
Examples of where this approach adds value
This approach is particularly effective on apartment developments where:
-
Ground‑plane and podium interfaces are tightly constrained
-
Deep soil requirements compete with structure and services
-
Basement access and servicing dominate the site layout
-
Boundaries interface closely with neighbouring residential uses
In these contexts, value comes from proportion, clarity and coordination, helping avoid RFIs, assessment delays and post‑approval redesign. All documentation is prepared to withstand peer and council review.
Related development support services
Class 2 apartment documentation sits at the more complex end of residential development documentation.
Where the project involves low‑rise or medium‑density residential development, the scope may sit closer to Townhouse & Multi‑Dwelling Landscape Documentation NSW. Where the proposal is smaller in scale, Dual Occupancy Landscape Documentation NSW may be the more relevant documentation pathway.
Where a multi‑level residential development is located within an estate or developer-controlled area, Master Planned Estate Landscape Documentation NSW may also be relevant where estate guidelines or covenants influence how external works need to be documented.
Service area — New South Wales
We provide landscape documentation support for Class 2 apartment and multi‑level residential developments across New South Wales, working with consultant teams in metropolitan, regional and growth-area contexts.
Engagement is guided by project type, regulatory context, site complexity and consultant coordination requirements rather than postcode alone.
Discussing suitability for a project
If you are working on a Class 2 apartment or multi‑level residential Development Application and need the landscape scope to align clearly with architectural, civil and planning inputs, we can review the site context, consultant coordination requirements and approval pathway to confirm whether this approach suits the project.
Discuss a Class 2 apartment project
View Landscape Documentation for Residential Developments NSW
Frequently asked questions
When is landscape documentation required for Class 2 apartment developments?
Landscape documentation is typically required wherever external works form part of what is being assessed. In Class 2 apartment and multi‑level residential developments, this almost always includes ground‑plane layouts, podium interfaces, access conditions and shared outdoor areas.
How does landscape documentation support DA assessment for apartment developments?
Its primary role is to make the external environment legible. Clear drawings help assessment officers understand how the apartment development functions externally and how landscape, civil and architectural elements align, reducing the need for clarification.
What needs to be included in a Class 2 landscape plan for DA in NSW?
A Class 2 DA landscape plan needs to clearly show how external works integrate with built form, access, levels and boundaries. The emphasis is on coordination and readability rather than decorative detail, supporting consistent interpretation during NSW planning assessment.
Do landscape plans need to show deep soil zones for NSW apartment DAs?
Where deep soil is part of the proposal or assessment framework, it needs to be shown clearly and in coordination with structure, services and levels. The role of landscape documentation is to make this relationship legible, rather than to resolve detailed technical compliance.
How does Class 2 apartment landscape documentation differ from townhouse documentation?
Class 2 apartment developments involve additional coordination around podiums, basements, shared access, communal spaces, deep soil zones and structural interfaces. The landscape documentation focus is still proportionate to assessment, but the number and complexity of interfaces increases.