NSW · Northern Beaches Council
Balgowlah Heights, NSW, 2093
Desirability index
73.4/100
How this score is calculated#192 among Metro Sydney suburbs
Suburb snapshot
Balgowlah Heights is a smaller suburban community in the Northern Beaches area, home to around 3,546 residents (2021 Census). Recent indicators show reported crime totals of around 594 offences in Jan 2025 to Dec 2025, roughly 167.5 offences per 1,000 residents, median weekly rent around $915 (flats $805, houses $1,513), strong public transport coverage with many public transport stops, a higher concentration of local shops, services, and recreation amenities, and notable planning and development activity on record. Snapshot data also shows parks or public open space within the suburb and hospitals or GP clinics within the suburb.
Population
- Population
- 3,546
- Median age
- 43
- Median household income / week
- $4,687
- Dwelling vacancy
- 4.1%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 45 of 1,095
- Median monthly mortgage
- $4,878
- Employment rate
- 62.3%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 21 / 29 / 7
Data sources & freshness
- 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 Census release
The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
Housing
- Flats / units (January to March 2026)
- $805
- Houses (January to March 2026)
- $1,513
- All types (January to March 2026)
- $915
- Rental bonds lodged (January to March 2026)
- 165
Median weekly rent from NSW DCJ rent tables. Figures can be unreliable where few bonds were lodged in the quarter.
Data sources & freshness
- DCJ rent tables — NSW Department of Communities and Justice · Period: January to March 2026 · Updated on site · Quarterly releases
Crime & safety
- Total offences (Jan 2025 to Dec 2025)
- 594
- Against the person
- 154
- Against property
- 303
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 167.5
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 23 residents
- State safety percentile
- 14th (lower crime is better)
- Year-on-year change
- +0.2%
Most common offence types
- Fraud50
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment44
- Malicious Damage To Property54
- Steal From Motor Vehicle51
- Steal From Retail Store42
Data sources & freshness
- BOCSAR postcode crime statistics — NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research · Period: Jan 2024 to Dec 2024 → Jan 2025 to Dec 2025; Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 · Updated on site · Rolling 12-month windows
Public transport
53 public transport stops in this suburb
- Beatrice St At New St
- Beatrice St At The Walk
- Beatrice St Opp Ernest St
- Woodland St At Bareena Dr
- Woodland St Before Alder St
Data sources & freshness
- GTFS public transport stops — State transport authority open-data feeds · Period: current · Updated on site · GTFS static feed
Planning & development
Development applications from NSW Planning Portal (lodged 2020–2026).
324 planning-related records
2026· 20 proposals
June 2026
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure36 BEATRICE STREET BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Under Assessment
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure35 NEW STREET EAST BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Additional Information Requested
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure13 VISTA AVENUE BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Under Assessment
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure14 ADRIAN PLACE BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Under Assessment
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure35 FISHER STREET BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Additional Information Requested
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure12 GEDDES STREET BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
May 2026
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation14 ERNEST STREET BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Under Assessment
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure8 MULGOWRIE CRESCENT BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Under Assessment
April 2026
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure20 BEATTY STREET BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure21 TABALUM ROAD BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation16 BEACONVIEW STREET BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Under Assessment
March 2026
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure35 FISHER STREET BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Earthworks, retaining walls and structural support; Landscaping structures; Pathways and paving; Stairway9 ERNEST STREET BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
- Demolition; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Minor building alterations (external)23 ERNEST STREET BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure21 TABALUM ROAD BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Withdrawn
February 2026
- Demolition; Erection of a new structure; Garage, carport or carparking space7 ABBOTT STREET BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Swimming pool41 RADIO AVENUE BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Erection of a new structure; Cabanas, cubby houses, ferneries, garden sheds, gazebos and greenhouses24 SCALES PARADE BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation4 NOLAN PLACE BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Additional Information Requested
January 2026
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation7 ADRIAN PLACE BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
2025· 42 proposals
December 2025
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Driveways and hard stand spaces; Earthworks, retaining walls and structural support; Garage, carport or carparking space26-28 ADELAIDE STREET BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation14 ERNEST STREET BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
November 2025
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure27 CURBAN STREET BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation21A VALLEY ROAD BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Withdrawn
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandah22 DOBROYD ROAD BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Swimming pool11 MULGOWRIE CRESCENT BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
October 2025
- Demolition; Shed; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Erection of a new structure; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandah; Cabanas, cubby houses, ferneries, garden sheds, gazebos and greenhouses; Landscaping structures; Minor building alterations (external)2A BEATTY STREET BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure5 NEW STREET EAST BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation1 CURBAN STREET BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
- Dwelling house; Change of use of land or a building or the classification of a building under the Building Code of Australia; Residential Accommodation59 LEWIS STREET BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Operational consent issued
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure85 WOODLAND STREET BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure12 GEDDES STREET BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation13 NEW STREET EAST BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
September 2025
- Erection of a new structure; Landscaping structures; Stairway; Swimming pool27 BAREENA DRIVE BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
- Erection of a new structure; Carport; Driveways and hard stand spaces43 CURBAN STREET BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure75 BEATRICE STREET BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
August 2025
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation17 MULGOWRIE CRESCENT BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
- Erection of a new structure; Carport; Driveways and hard stand spaces9 MULGOWRIE CRESCENT BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure39 HEATHCLIFF CRESCENT BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure14B WOODLAND STREET BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
2024· 39 proposals
39 proposals lodged in 2024. Individual listings are kept for the most recent proposals.
2023· 53 proposals
53 proposals lodged in 2023. Individual listings are kept for the most recent proposals.
2022· 58 proposals
58 proposals lodged in 2022. Individual listings are kept for the most recent proposals.
2021· 62 proposals
62 proposals lodged in 2021. Individual listings are kept for the most recent proposals.
2020· 50 proposals
50 proposals lodged in 2020. Individual listings are kept for the most recent proposals.
Data sources & freshness
- Online DA development application register — NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure · Period: 2020; 2020–2026; 2021… · Updated on site · Daily open-data feed (applications from Oct 2018)
Amenities
69 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Bbq (2)
- Bench (12)
- Bicycle Parking
- Alma St at Woodland StBus stop
- Bareena Park, Curban StBus stop
- Beatrice St at Ernest StBus stop
- Beatrice St at New StBus stop
- Beatrice St at The WalkBus stop
- Beatrice St opp Ernest StBus stop
- Beatrice St opp Gordon StBus stop
Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe).
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Parks & reserves
4 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Bareena ParkPark
- Gledhill ReservePark
- Nanbaree ReservePark
- Tania ParkPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Health access
- Hospitals & GP clinics
- 1
- Emergency department
- Not in suburb
- Balgowlah Heights Pharmacypharmacy
Data sources & freshness
- Hospitals & clinics — OpenStreetMap + state health datasets · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 10/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 10/10
SEIFA indexes from ABS 2021. Decile 10 = most advantaged / least disadvantaged in Australia.
Data sources & freshness
- SEIFA 2021 (IRSAD / IRSD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 SEIFA release
Hazards
- Bushfire planning zone
- No overlay at centroid
Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via NSW bush fire prone land mapping.
Data sources & freshness
- Hazard planning overlays — State government hazard layers · Period: current · Updated on site
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 13
- Parks (OSM)
- 6
OpenStreetMap parks and natural woodland features mapped within the suburb boundary.
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap green cover features — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Desirability index
- Desirability score
- 73.4/100
- Cohort rank
- #192 among Metro Sydney suburbs
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Beatrice St At New Sttransport
- Beatrice St At The Walktransport
- Beatrice St Opp Ernest Sttransport
- Woodland St At Bareena Drtransport
- Woodland St Before Alder Sttransport
- Balgowlah Heights Pharmacyhealthpharmacy
- Bareena Parkgovernmentpark
- Gledhill Reservegovernmentpark
- Nanbaree Reservegovernmentpark
- Tania Parkgovernmentpark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Updated on site
- Hospitals & clinics — OpenStreetMap + state health datasets · Updated on site
- GTFS public transport stops — State transport authority open-data feeds · Updated on site · GTFS static feed
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