Inner Sydney

Conveyancing in Newtown.

King Street is the boundary between two councils: from Church Street to Lord Street the western side is Inner West Council and the eastern side is the City of Sydney, so shops facing each other answer to different plans.

The eastern side is governed by Sydney LEP 2012 and the Sydney DCP 2012, the western side by Inner West LEP 2022 and the Marrickville DCP 2011. Each council issues its own section 10.7 certificate, publishes its own flood information and numbers its heritage conservation areas its own way. Enmore Road is Inner West on both sides.

Prepared reviews your contract for sale and the documents prescribed to be attached to it against what Newtown actually raises. Which council and which plan the certificate comes from. Which heritage conservation area the terrace sits in and how that council numbers it. Whether the State low and mid rise housing rules reach the street. Which flood catchment the address drains to. You get answers you can act on before the cooling off period runs out.

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Newtown at a glance

Postcode
2042
Council
City of Sydney and Inner West (split at King Street)
Water utility
Sydney Water (confirm by address)
Most common dwelling
Semi-detached, terrace or townhouse

Authorities for Newtown

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 Newtown

Newtown runs along its two shopping streets, King Street and Enmore Road, with Newtown station on King Street. Camperdown Memorial Rest Park, bounded by Federation Road, Lennox Street and Church Street, is the former Camperdown Cemetery; all but a walled section beside St Stephen's Church became parkland in 1948, and Inner West Council manages it. On the City side, the King Street heritage conservation area runs along King Street from near the University of Sydney to Concord Street by Sydney Park.

The Newtown railway station group and the former Newtown tramway depot are State Heritage Register item 01213, gazetted 2 April 1999. St Stephen's Anglican Church and its cemetery at 187 to 189 Church Street are item 00462, gazetted the same day. The Trocadero at 69 to 77 King Street is item 01380, gazetted 10 March 2000, while the Newtown Post Office at 292 King Street is a local item, I1008, under Sydney LEP 2012.

What the market here means for your contract

At the 2021 Census, Newtown had 14,690 residents in 7,691 private dwellings. Semi-detached, row or terrace houses and townhouses made up 52.0% of occupied private dwellings, flats or apartments 39.8% and separate houses 5.0%. Of occupied dwellings, 57.6% were rented, 23.4% owned with a mortgage and 17.3% owned outright.

The practical effect is that a Newtown file is often a terrace in a heritage conservation area, where the first question is which council's plan applies. The answer decides which LEP, which DCP and which heritage map you read, which council issues the certificate, and which flood information you ask for. Where the home is a lot in a strata scheme, the strata records come on top of that.

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 Newtown

Which side of King Street

Marrickville DCP 2011 Part 9.37 covers the western side of King Street between Church Street and Lord Street and describes it as adjoining the City of Sydney, and a City of Sydney council paper calls King Street the boundary between the two council areas. So a shop or terrace on the western side in that stretch is under Inner West LEP 2022, while one on the eastern side, such as 212 to 214 King Street, is under Sydney LEP 2012, where a 2025 planning panel report records E1 Local Centre zoning and a floor space ratio of 1.75:1 for that site. The certificate comes from a different council on each side. We check which council the address is in before reading anything else.

Two sets of conservation area numbers

On the City side, the King Street heritage conservation area is C47 in Sydney LEP 2012. On the Inner West side, the council's own heritage sheets call the King Street and Enmore Road conservation area C73 and the Enmore-Newtown area C71, but the council warns that its numbering is based on the former councils' LEPs and is not yet in line with Inner West LEP 2022. Older Marrickville documents call the King Street area C2. We read the conservation area identifier on the certificate for the address and the heritage map that council publishes, rather than relying on a number in a listing.

Low and mid rise housing near the station

The State's low and mid rise housing reforms, in Chapter 6 of State Environmental Planning Policy (Housing) 2021, have applied since 28 February 2025 to the Newtown station and town centre area along King Street and Enmore Road, which the Department lists as shared between the City of Sydney and Inner West. Heritage items are excluded, but heritage conservation areas are not on the list of exclusions. Inner West Council has asked the State to remove the reforms, and we found no record of that being agreed. If you are buying near the station, we explain what a neighbour may be able to build next door.

Flood catchments on both sides

Inner West Council places Newtown north of Enmore Road in the Johnstons Creek catchment and south of Enmore Road in the Eastern Channel East catchment, and issues a flood certificate showing 1% annual exceedance probability and probable maximum flood levels. On the City side, the Alexandra Canal and Johnstons Creek floodplain catchments both take in parts of Newtown, and the City provides flood model information as well as a paid flood certificate. We ask for the right council's flood information for the address, because a section 10.7 certificate alone may not tell you enough.

Entertainment precincts on two streets

Enmore Road became a permanent special entertainment precinct under Inner West LEP 2022 on 8 December 2023. Both councils now have planning proposals for a King Street precinct: the City of Sydney's draft is dated June 2026, Inner West's went to its local planning panel on 1 June 2026, and on 30 June 2026 the councils said both would go to Gateway next. Neither King Street proposal was in force when we checked in November 2026. A special entertainment precinct changes how amplified music and trading hours are regulated, so if you are buying near either street we tell you where the proposals stand.

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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 Newtown

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 Sydney

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 Newtown that means confirming which council the address is in, reading the right conservation area and flood information for that side of King Street, and checking the housing and entertainment precinct rules nearby, 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 Newtown in the City of Sydney or Inner West?

Both. King Street is the boundary: between Church Street and Lord Street the western side is Inner West Council and the eastern side is the City of Sydney, and Enmore Road is Inner West on both sides. The section 10.7 certificate attached to the contract comes from the council the address is in and names the plan that applies.

Is Newtown in a heritage conservation area?

The main streets are, under two different plans. The King Street heritage conservation area, C47, is in Sydney LEP 2012 on the City side, and Inner West lists King Street and Enmore Road and Enmore-Newtown conservation areas on its side, with numbering it says is still being aligned with Inner West LEP 2022. Conservation areas are applied by map, so the certificate and the council's heritage map for the address are what to check.

Is there a train station in Newtown?

Yes. Newtown station is on King Street, and the station group with the former Newtown tramway depot is on the State Heritage Register as item 01213. Since 28 February 2025 the area around the station and town centre has been one where the State's low and mid rise housing rules apply, which can affect what may be built near a home you are buying.

Buying or selling in Newtown?

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

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