Mona Vale facts that change a plumbing job
Two wards, one council
Northern Beaches Council lists Mona Vale as partly in its Pittwater Ward and partly in its Narrabeen Ward.
Houses, mostly owned
At the 2021 Census, 53.6% of occupied homes were separate houses, 29.1% flats and 16.0% semis or townhouses. 45.1% were owned outright, against 31.5% across NSW.
A local flood study
Council's flood studies include one for McCarrs Creek, Mona Vale and Bayview, from 2017.
Trees close to the house
Council lets you remove a tree under 5 metres tall, or within two metres of an existing approved building, without a permit.
Flood precincts in plain words
Council's Flood Hazard Map shows flood prone land in three precincts. The medium flood risk precinct is the Flood Planning Area: land hit by the 1% AEP flood (the 1 in 100 year flood), with a freeboard margin added. The high precinct sits inside it, where the hydraulic hazard is high, and the low precinct covers land that only the Probable Maximum Flood, the largest conceivable flood, would reach.
Planning controls for flood prone land include setting floor levels above known flood levels. Before you add a downstairs bathroom or laundry, or move drainage, ask Council for flood information about your property. For drainage on your block, see stormwater.
Trees near the house
The two metre exemption is measured from the building to the base of the trunk, and only counts approved buildings: decks, pergolas, sheds and patios don't count, even if they're attached. You can also prune up to 10% of a tree's canopy in 12 months, to Australian Standard AS 4373.
Trees further out and 5 metres or taller need a permit unless another exemption applies. If roots are already in your sewer, removing the tree doesn't fix a cracked pipe: see tree roots in drains.
Is the blockage yours or Sydney Water's?
- Probably Sydney Water's: the overflow is beyond your boundary, neighbours have the same problem, there's widespread local flooding, or it keeps flowing while nobody uses water.
- Probably yours: neighbours are fine, your drainage isn't shared, there's no flooding, and it only overflows when you run water.
- Not sure: Sydney Water's 24/7 faults line asks a few questions to help work it out.
What we'd do in Mona Vale
Measure before you call an arborist. If the trunk is within two metres of the house itself, not the deck or shed, or the tree is under 5 metres, Northern Beaches Council doesn't require a permit to remove it. But if roots are in your sewer, the pipe still needs fixing, so get a camera inspection first. We'll match you with a drain specialist who can tell you what the pipe needs.