Bundaberg Regional Council, like most other councils have specific regulations regarding the overall size of sheds, the height of sheds and the distance allowable from boundaries. Bundaberg Regional council has only recently brought out a new planning scheme which has made considerable allowances for overall size and heights of sheds in Bundaberg and surrounding districts. The new square meter allowance for small residential blocks up to 2000m2 is now 90 m2 and over 2000m2 rural residential land is 153m2.
The height allowance has also been increased to maximum 4.5m at the eave (gutter height) however this is only allowable if your shed is more than 1.5m from the boundary. If you plan to build within 1.5m of a boundary the rule is that no part of your shed within that 1.5m area can higher than 3.5m. I have attached a simple diagram to help clarify.
There are also rules governing the maximum length of a shed which also changes if you are within 1.5m of the boundary. In essence the maximum allowable shed length (if you are more than 1.5m from the boundary) is 12m which means long skinny sheds don’t work as well with council regulations as do square shaped sheds. For instance if you wanted to build a 13m long by 4m wide shed (52 m2) in your backyard you would have to apply to Bundaberg Regional Council to see if it was allowable. Even though you would be under the 90 m2 allowable area your shed is over 12m long. However if you wanted to build a 9m x 10m shed there would be no issues (as long as you pass height, boundary restrictions etc).
If you plan to build your shed within 1.5m of a boundary then you have a maximum allowable length of 9m. This 9m allowance also includes any other sheds, carports and garden sheds on that same boundary. Lets say you wanted to extend your shed with a Garaport (gable carport) out the front of your existing shed. Your shed side wall is only 600mm from the boundary and your shed is 7m long on that boundary. I essence you would only be allowed another 2m and anything over that would require a Town Planning application.
So back to the question of how close can you build a shed to boundary (totally different regulations for front boundaries and corner blocks). In essence as long as no part of your shed is over/on the boundary then you can build as close as you like. Most builders would say at least 700mm (if that bounadry is fenced) as that allows them to access the side with ladders etc however you can build one wall within 200mm allowing for wall cladding 30mm and gutter widthe of 125mm approx. Building so close means that the wall has to be built on the slab, braced and wall sheeting attached then stood up as an entire wall (as the main heading photo shows). Obviously the higher and longer the shed wall then weight considerations come into play and may require cranes etc to lift the wall.
I trust this clarifies some questions however please come in and discuss your requirements with one of our staff as we will be more then happy to answer any questions and/or seek clarification from certifiers or council representatives if we don’t have the answers.