Knockdown rebuild · Narre Warren North
Short answer
Before you knock down and rebuild in Narre Warren North, check three things. First, your zone and overlays, which a free VicPlan planning property report shows. Most residential land is Low Density Residential Zone, where one house on its own lot doesn't need a planning permit under the zone. Second, sewer. Ask South East Water whether it's available, because an unsewered block needs a Casey wastewater permit and room for a disposal area. Third, the City of Casey's demolition steps: report and consent, an asset protection permit and asbestos. Turnkey Building Group (TKBG) is Victoria's leading builder broker, based nearby in Berwick. We're paid by the builder from a share of its margin, so using us costs you nothing extra.
Why rebuild
Narre Warren North is the original Narre Warren. When the Gippsland railway came through, the town centre moved about 2 km south to where Narre Warren is today. The post office opened as Narre Warren in 1869 and was renamed Narre Warren North in 1900.
Today it's a suburb of big houses on big blocks. At the 2021 Census, 99.0% of dwellings were separate houses, the average had 4.2 bedrooms, and about 93% were owned outright (41.1%) or with a mortgage (52.2%). Each of those figures sits well above the Victorian one.
A big share of the suburb is green wedge, and new house land is scarce. So owners who like the location and want a new home usually rebuild on the block they have rather than move. There's no train station in the suburb, though Narre Warren station is nearby. School zones go by address, so check yours with Find my School.
Zones
All of Narre Warren North is in the City of Casey, so Casey's rules apply wherever you are. Most of its residential land is in the Low Density Residential Zone. The rest is mostly General Residential Zone, plus the Township Zone around the old township.
| Zone | Planning permit for one house? | Garden area rule | What to watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low Density Residential (LDRZ) | Not under the zone, if it's the only dwelling on the lot | No | Sewer if available, otherwise onsite wastewater. Large outbuildings can need a permit |
| General Residential (GRZ) | Only on a lot under 300 m² | Yes, on lots of 400 m² or more | Garden area can limit a big single-storey plan |
| Township Zone | Only on a lot under 300 m² | No | Sewer if available, otherwise onsite wastewater. The Township Strategy may apply (see overlays) |
The LDRZ makes the planning side simpler for one house. There's no minimum garden area, and Clause 54 doesn't apply, so siting is checked with the building permit instead. Servicing is what needs the most thought. The house must connect to reticulated sewer if it's available. If it isn't, all wastewater has to be treated and kept on the lot. An outbuilding bigger than the schedule allows needs a permit, so mention any shed plans early.
In the GRZ, the minimum garden area is 25% of a 400 to 500 m² lot, 30% above 500 to 650 m², and 35% above 650 m². It doesn't include the house and its roofed areas, the driveway or car parking, and only areas at least 1 m wide count.
Sewer
On a Low Density Residential block, sewer decides what can go where.
Casey says it has a number of unsewered rural, residential and commercial areas, so don't assume either way. Ask South East Water, which serves Narre Warren North, whether sewer is available to your lot. If it is, the new house connects to it, and Casey won't permit a septic system.
If there's no sewer, you need a Casey permit to install a new onsite wastewater system or alter the existing one. An alteration includes work that increases the potential daily wastewater flow, and an extra bedroom counts. So a bigger house can need a permit even if the old tank works fine. The application needs a site plan and floor plan, and a land capability assessment by a qualified assessor unless Council says it isn't needed.
The wastewater has to stay within the property. The disposal area must be kept clear of buildings, driveways, vehicles and livestock, and its location should allow for future buildings, driveways and pools. That means the house design and the disposal area need to be planned together. If you want a pool, shed or wider driveway, put it on the plan before positions are fixed. Start with Casey's onsite wastewater permit page.
Overlays
Many residential blocks carry a Development Plan Overlay, and a small number are in a Bushfire Management, flood or Heritage Overlay. Check VicPlan before you pay for designs.
Development Plan Overlay (DPO). On its own it doesn't require a permit for a house. But if another control triggers a permit, what you build must be generally in line with the approved development plan. For the township and nearby low-density land, that's the Narre Warren North Township Strategy, adopted by Casey in June 2005. Its aims include limited township growth and protecting the non-urban foothills.
Bushfire Management Overlay (BMO). It mostly covers green wedge land and the Lysterfield Park edge. Where it applies, building a house needs a permit.
Flood overlays. The Land Subject to Inundation Overlay and Special Building Overlay both need a permit for buildings and works.
Heritage Overlay (HO). There are a few small ones. A permit is needed to demolish a building and to build a new one.
Demolition
Report and consent. Under section 29A of the Building Act 1993, Council's report and consent is needed before a building surveyor can issue a demolition permit. Casey's planning pages link to "Apply for consent to demolish (Section 29A)".
Asset protection permit. Casey says that "in most cases, you will need to apply for an Asset Protection Permit (APP) if you are planning to build (or undertake demolition works) in the City of Casey. You cannot start any building works (including the delivery of any materials and equipment) until a permit is granted." The permit protects roads, footpaths, nature strips, kerb and channel, drains and street trees. Record any existing damage before work starts. Apply through Casey's asset protection permit page.
Asbestos. WorkSafe Victoria requires asbestos likely to be disturbed to be identified and removed before demolition, by a licensed removalist. The only exception is limited non-friable removal, up to 10 m² and one hour in any seven days.
South East Water assets. You need its approval to build over its easement or within 1 m of its water, sewer or recycled water assets.
Title. Check your title and plan of subdivision for covenants and easements.
Somewhere to live. You'll be out of the house from demolition to handover, so sort out where you'll stay before you sign.
The builder, demolisher, licensed asbestos removalist, wastewater designer and building surveyor do this work. Your part is booking them in the right order.
What's new
If you'd rather buy land than rebuild, there isn't much. As at October 2026, Oak Ridge Estate on Abeckett Road listed its last two lots, 800 to 803 m², with no further stages. It has design guidelines, so read them alongside the title. Otherwise, look next door at house and land in Berwick or at Hampton Park.
The broker
Problems start when a design is chosen before anyone checks the block. It can take the only good spot for a disposal area, sit over a South East Water easement or trigger a permit nobody planned for, and then the fixed price moves.
About 6 or 7 of our builders do knockdown rebuilds. Some handle the demolition themselves, and if yours doesn't, we can help arrange it. Send us your VicPlan report, your title and what South East Water told you about sewer. We match designs to the block, its services and its controls, then compare full turnkey, fixed-price quotes set on the real site. Our site costs guide and turnkey inclusions guide show what each quote should cover.
You sign the build contract directly with the builder. TKBG is a builder broker, not a builder. We present the contracts and facilitate the whole process. Before you sign, read how to check a builder in Victoria, how builder brokers get paid and volume vs custom builders, or compare a broker with going direct. There's also our Beaconsfield knockdown rebuild guide, and builder broker Melbourne explains how we work.
Why TKBG
Questions
Not under the zone, if the new house is the only dwelling on the lot and meets the sewer or wastewater rule. An overlay can still trigger one, and so can a large outbuilding.
Ask South East Water. Some Low Density Residential blocks in Casey aren't on sewer. If sewer is available, Casey won't permit a septic system.
Possibly. Adding bedrooms counts as an alteration because it increases wastewater flow, so it needs a Casey permit, usually with a land capability assessment.
On its own it doesn't need a permit for a house. If something else triggers a permit, the house must be generally in line with the approved plan, such as the Narre Warren North Township Strategy.
Not in the Low Density Residential Zone or Township Zone. In the General Residential Zone it applies to lots of 400 m² or more, at 25% to 35% depending on lot size.
Report and consent under section 29A of the Building Act 1993, and in most cases an Asset Protection Permit. No works or deliveries can start until that permit is granted.
No. TKBG is Victoria's leading builder broker. We're paid by the builder from a share of its margin, so using us costs you nothing extra. We compare full turnkey, fixed-price packages from over 35 builders.
Next step
Book a discovery appointment, or start at offer.tkbg.com.au.
Questions? Call 1300 008 524