Inner West

Conveyancing in Lewisham.

Lewisham's McGill Street precinct is former light industrial land between Old Canterbury Road and the Hawthorne Canal. A 2019 council report to the Inner West Local Planning Panel listed eight approved sites there above the floor space ratio limit, by 17% to 80%.

Under the Marrickville LEP 2001 most of the precinct was zoned Light Industrial, and the Marrickville LEP 2011, whose maps applied from 12 December 2011, brought in mixed use and high density residential zones with a masterplan in Part 9.45 of the Marrickville DCP 2011. The Land and Environment Court approved 14-18 McGill Street at 4.14:1 against a 2.3:1 standard. The Inner West LEP 2022, published on 12 August 2022, now applies, and council's 2023 panel report records 2 McGill Street as zoned MU1 Mixed Use. What has been approved next door can be very different from what the maps show.

Prepared reviews your contract for sale and the documents prescribed to be attached to it against what Lewisham actually raises. What the zone, height and floor space maps say for the lot, and what council has approved next door. Whether the 10.7 certificate records any contamination matter on former industrial land. The flood notation, and floor levels near the Hawthorne Canal. Whether the house sits in the Lewisham Estate conservation area. You get answers you can act on before the cooling off period runs out.

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Lewisham at a glance

Postcode
2049
Council
Inner West Council
Water utility
Sydney Water (confirm by address)
Most common dwelling
Flat or apartment

Authorities for Lewisham

Check it yourself

Links to government and third-party sites. We do not control what they publish, and the section 10.7 certificate and the documents attached to the contract for the specific property remain the source of truth.

About Lewisham

Lewisham runs from Parramatta Road in the north to New Canterbury Road in the south, with West Street and Petersham Park on the eastern edge and the Hawthorne Canal and light rail line along the west. The Main Western railway line cuts it in two. Lewisham station has entrances north and south of the line, and a small run of shops sits by Railway Terrace south of the line, many of them now lived in. The Lewisham West light rail stop, beside the McGill Street precinct, opened on 27 March 2014 when the line was extended along the old goods line, and the GreenWay path follows the canal.

Where the railway crosses the canal you pass the Lewisham Railway viaducts over Long Cove Creek, on the State Heritage Register as item 01043 since 2 April 1999, with a pair of the 1880s Whipple trusses displayed on site. Close by, the Lewisham Sewage Aqueduct, built in 1900, carries a riveted steel sewer about 85 metres over the canal; it is State Heritage Register item 01326, listed on 18 November 1999. Lewisham station itself is not heritage listed, according to Transport for NSW's March 2025 heritage report, and is being upgraded with four lifts. North of the line, the former Lewisham Hospital, convent and grounds on West Street and Thomas Street is local heritage item I1181.

What the market here means for your contract

At the 2021 Census, Lewisham (suburb code SAL12322) had 4,060 people and 1,956 private dwellings, of which 1,678 were occupied. Of the occupied dwellings, 57.0% were flats or apartments, 28.6% separate houses and 13.2% semi-detached, terrace or townhouses, against 21.7% flats across NSW. 47.1% were rented, 31.9% owned with a mortgage and 19.0% owned outright.

The practical effect is that most homes here are in strata schemes and close to half are let. For an apartment, the section 184 strata certificate, the by-laws, recent minutes and any defect or levy issues matter as much as the contract itself. If a tenant is in place, the contract should say whether you buy subject to the lease and what its terms are. For the houses south of the railway, the heritage conservation area is usually the planning control the 10.7 certificate will flag.

Before you sign

In New South Wales you get 5 business days to cool off on an established home, 10 for off the plan, and none at all at auction. If you agree to waive the cooling off period and provide a 66W Certificate then no cooling off applies as well.

That is the whole window. If the property is going to auction, the review has to happen before you raise your hand, and it costs you nothing to have it done. There is no reason to be the person who finds out afterwards.

Send it now, free

Local detail

What we check in Lewisham

McGill Street density above the mapped limits

The McGill Street precinct, bounded by Old Canterbury Road, Longport Street, the Hawthorne Canal and the light rail line, has a masterplan in Part 9.45 of the Marrickville DCP 2011 with a site amalgamation pattern. Approvals have not followed it closely. Council's report for the Inner West Local Planning Panel meeting of 7 May 2019 listed eight approved sites over the floor space ratio standard, including 14-18 McGill Street at 4.14:1 against 2.3:1, approved by the Land and Environment Court. The 10.7 certificate will show the zone and the Inner West LEP 2022 height and floor space maps that apply to the lot, but not what has been approved or lodged next door. We check council's development records for neighbouring lots and tell you what could still be built around you.

Contamination records on former industrial land

Most of the precinct was zoned Light Industrial under the Marrickville LEP 2001, and the DCP describes warehouses, depots, freight and logistics uses. A section 10.7(2) certificate must state the matters in section 59(2) of the Contaminated Land Management Act 1997: a declaration of significantly contaminated land, a management order, an approved voluntary management proposal, an ongoing maintenance order, or a site audit statement given to council. It does not reproduce the site investigation reports in a development application file. Council's 2019 report on 2 McGill Street, for example, records investigation data gaps and contamination conditions on the consent. We read the certificate, then the consent and its contamination conditions for the building or lot you are buying.

Hawthorne Canal flood levels and floor heights

Hawthorne Canal is the concrete channel shown as Long Cove Creek on maps of the late 1880s, and Lewisham is in the study area of the Dobroyd Canal and Hawthorne Canal Floodplain Risk Management Study and Plan, dated 13 November 2020 and adopted by council on 12 September 2023. Council's 2019 report placed 2 McGill Street in the flood planning area, with a 1 in 100 year flood planning level of RL 11.84 m AHD including 500 mm freeboard. The 2012 concept approval for 78-90 Old Canterbury Road required finished floor levels above the probable maximum flood. The 10.7 certificate will show whether flood related development controls apply to the lot. We check that notation and, for a newer building, the flood conditions and floor levels in its consent.

Lewisham Estate conservation area controls

A large part of Lewisham south of the railway is in the Lewisham Estate heritage conservation area, C61 in Schedule 5 of the Inner West LEP 2022, covering The Boulevarde, Toothill Street, Summer Hill Street and Hunter Street among others. Council's statement dates it to subdivision releases from 1882 to 1898 after the station opened, with a key period of 1880 to 1940. It treats original iron palisade fences and no parking off the main frontage as contributory, and painted face brick, aluminium windows and high solid front fences as detracting. Items inside it include the Baptist Church and Hall at 13-15 The Boulevarde. We confirm conservation area or item status on the 10.7 certificate and ask for approvals for any fence, carport, window or roof change.

Major works on West Street and the station

The former Lewisham Hospital, convent and grounds at 1 Thomas Street and 2B and 2C West Street is heritage item I1181, and Catholic Healthcare's seniors housing there physically started on 30 July 2025. A modification taking two buildings from 9 to 10 storeys was listed for the Sydney Eastern City Planning Panel on 2 April 2026. Lewisham station is also being upgraded with four lifts and new kiss and ride on both sides of the line, which Transport for NSW expects to take 18 to 24 months to build. None of this shows on the 10.7 certificate for a neighbouring property. We check approved and pending works near the address so you know what construction and street changes to expect.

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How it works in 3 steps

Step 1

Upload your contract

Upload your contract, add a few details and you’re done. No appointment to book, no credit card and no obligation.

Step 2

Same business day review

In before 2pm, back before you need it.

We’ll send you a free legal review to help you understand what matters, what to watch for and what to do next.

Step 3

Your call

Walk away, or have us run the matter through to PEXA settlement for $1,900 incl. GST fixed.

Either is fine with us.

How we help in Lewisham

Contract for sale reviews

Before you sign anything, we review the contract for sale and explain the terms, special conditions and risks that could affect your purchase.

Prescribed documents and the 10.7 certificate

The documents attached to the contract carry the section 10.7 planning certificate, the title and plan, the sewerage diagram, easements and restrictions, and for strata the scheme documents and by-laws. We explain what they mean and flag anything that deserves a closer look.

Property conveyancing

Buying or selling, we manage the legal transfer of ownership, prepare the documents and coordinate every party through to settlement.

Settlement and statement of adjustments

We prepare and check settlement figures, including council rates, water rates, strata levies and other adjustments, so nothing is wrong on the day.

Electronic settlement

Land dealings in New South Wales must be lodged electronically, and certificates of title were cancelled in October 2021. We run the whole process securely and keep you informed at each step.

Strata due diligence

Buying an apartment or townhouse means buying into a strata scheme. We review the section 184 certificate, the records, financial statements, by-laws, the capital works fund, maintenance obligations and any known issues.

Easements, covenants and title restrictions

We explain everything affecting the title, including easements, restrictions on the use of land and positive covenants created by a section 88B instrument, caveats, mortgages and other registered interests that could limit what you do with the property.

Transfer duty and land tax clearance

We calculate your duty, prepare the documents and lodge everything with Revenue NSW, and we obtain the land tax clearance certificate so an unpaid charge on the land does not follow you.

See everything we handle across Inner West

Why Prepared

Anyone can offer a free review. What matters is what comes back, and who wrote it.

 

Speed

Same-day contract reviews. While others wait on a callback, you are at the next inspection ready to offer.

Expertise

Your contract is reviewed by experienced Australian property lawyers who understand the local property market. In Lewisham that means checking what the McGill Street approvals allow next door, what the 10.7 certificate does and does not say about contamination on former industrial land, and where the Hawthorne Canal flood level sits against your floor, not a generic checklist.

Fixed fee

One price for the conveyancing, published before you commit. No hourly billing, no surprises on the invoice, and no charge at all for the review that got you there.

What it costs

Nothing to have it read. One price if you go ahead.

Most conveyancers charge for a review, or ask you to request a quote before they will tell you anything at all. Here is the whole thing, so you can compare without making a phone call.

Free

Contract review

No obligation, as many properties as you need for your first 90 days, then $49 a review. Back in 4 business hours.

$1,900

Full conveyancing, buying

Incl. GST, fixed. Contract through to PEXA settlement, adjustments and duty lodgement.

$300

Selling, and it does not sell

Professional fees only, plus the cost of any searches already ordered. You are not billed for a settlement that never happened.

Government charges, searches and transfer duty are payable in addition and are set by the State, not by us. We tell you the total before you instruct.

Start with the free review

Common questions

Is Lewisham in a heritage conservation area?

Part of it is. A large part of Lewisham south of the railway is in the Lewisham Estate heritage conservation area, C61 under the Inner West LEP 2022, centred on The Boulevarde and Hunter Street. The Marrickville DCP 2011 records no conservation area in the McGill Street precinct or in Lewisham north of the railway. The section 10.7 certificate for the address will show whether the lot is in a conservation area or is a heritage item.

Does Lewisham flood?

Some lots do. Lewisham drains to the Hawthorne Canal, and council's 2019 report on 2 McGill Street placed that site in the flood planning area for a 1 in 100 year event. Council adopted the Dobroyd Canal and Hawthorne Canal Floodplain Risk Management Study and Plan on 12 September 2023. Check the flood notation on the section 10.7 certificate for the specific address.

Which council is Lewisham in?

Lewisham is in the Inner West Council area. The main planning instrument is the Inner West LEP 2022, published on 12 August 2022, which replaced the Marrickville LEP 2011. Council's website lists the Marrickville DCP 2011 as the development control plan for Lewisham, though a consolidated Inner West DCP has been prepared. Water and sewer are Sydney Water, but confirm by address.

Buying or selling in Lewisham?

Send us the contract. You will get it back reviewed, in plain English, with the issues that matter flagged.

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