A Forestville enquiry should identify whether water is entering through the roof or overflowing from gutters, and whether neighbouring homes share the roof. In the nineteenth century Forestville was thickly wooded, and timber cut here was shipped down the harbour to Sydney, the Dictionary of Sydney records. Today much of Forestville adjoins Garigal National Park and Forestville Park. The Roofing Northern Beaches guides explain the work and local checks.
Forestville has a higher share of attached homes than Frenchs Forest next door. In the 2021 Census, 80.3% of occupied private dwellings were separate houses, 13.1% were semi-detached, row or terrace houses or townhouses, and 6.5% were flats or apartments; 47.9% had four or more bedrooms. If your roof is shared with a neighbour, say so in the request.
Five areas rated “Extreme”
About 52% of Forestville’s land is mapped bush fire prone, by our calculation from council map data, including about 27% of its low-density residential zone. The Warringah Pittwater Bush Fire Risk Management Plan, written in 2010 and still cited by council as the plan that guides its bush fire work, rates five Forestville areas “Extreme”:
- “Forestville Urban East”, around Cooks Street
- “Forestville Park West Interface”, around Currie Road
- “Forestville Urban North”, around Lady Davidson and Ferguson Roads
- “Forestville Urban South”
- “Forestville Park Urban East”, around Bantry Road
Forestville Park’s fire history
Council’s 2006 fire plan for Forestville Park recorded that “92% of Forestville Park has been burnt since 1952”, including “a number of wildfires originating from Garigal National Park”, and that “The most recent fire event occurred in 2004”. The same plan warns that “Fire history mapping prior to 2000 was often not undertaken or consisted of approximate desktop estimates”, so treat the long-run figure as a guide.
The park is also Forestville’s only heritage conservation area, a 33.4-hectare landscape area rather than a group of houses. The suburb’s three heritage items are a former house and garden, a soldiers settlement dwelling and the Presbyterian Church of St Columba. The Codes SEPP’s exempt re-roofing doesn’t apply “on or in a heritage item”, so the owner of a listed building should talk to council before any roof work.
Roofs and gutters on the bush edge
The NSW RFS says “85% of houses are lost from ember attack”. Its advice for existing homes is maintenance that “should include the removal of litter from the roof, valleys and gutters in advance of the bush fire season”, and it adds that “For two storey buildings, the use of gutters on the upper storey makes debris removal more difficult.” For new work it says “The use of box gutters, flat roofs and variations in the angle of the roof should be avoided.”
About half of Forestville’s low-density residential land is on flanking slopes falling to Middle Harbour and Carroll Creek, by our calculation from council’s landslip map. On a sloping block, cleaning or guarding the downhill gutters often means working higher off the ground, so it’s often safer left to a roofer with the right access equipment. See gutters and gutter guard.
Roofing work in Forestville
Choose the work you’re planning in Forestville, then describe the roof material, condition and access:
- Roof repairs: cracked and slipped tiles, ridge capping, valleys, flashings and rusted metal.
- Roof leak repairs: leaks traced back to where the water gets in, then fixed there.
- Roof restoration: clean, repair, rebed, repoint and recoat a roof that’s still sound.
- Roof replacement: old tile, iron or fibro roofs stripped and replaced, in Colorbond or new tiles.
- Gutters and gutter guard: gutters, downpipes and metal gutter guard.
Before re-roofing in Forestville
Whether a new roof needs approval depends on the property, not just the suburb: whether it’s a heritage item or in a heritage conservation area, whether it’s on bush fire prone land, and whether the old roof contains asbestos. Your property’s planning certificate shows its heritage and bush fire status, and Northern Beaches Council explains exempt and complying development. The roofer should confirm the approval pathway with the quote. See roof replacement for the conditions.
Nearby suburbs
Common questions
My street is rated “Extreme” in the bush fire risk plan. What does that mean for my roof?
The 2010 plan rates areas, not individual houses, so it isn’t an assessment of your home. Council’s bush fire prone land map, or your section 10.7 planning certificate, shows whether your block is mapped; council notes the map “does not identify a property’s Bush fire Attack Level (BAL) rating”. For the roof itself, the RFS advises clean gutters, metal gutter guards and repairing damaged or missing tiles.
Do I have to upgrade an older roof in Forestville for bush fire?
No. The NSW RFS says “Upgrading of existing building elements is not mandatory.” If you do re-roof on mapped land, the Codes SEPP says the work must “be adequately sealed or protected to prevent the entry of embers” and “use equivalent or improved quality materials”.
Does a re-roof in Forestville need council approval?
A straight re-roof of an ordinary house that isn’t a heritage item can often be done without approval, as exempt development under the Codes SEPP, if no roof openings are added or enlarged and any asbestos over 10 square metres is removed by a licensed asbestos removalist. The SEPP doesn’t settle a change from tiles to metal, so check with council or a certifier first, and ask the roofer to confirm the approval pathway with the quote.
What colours does council want for a roof near the bush in Forestville?
Where roof work needs a development application, Warringah DCP 2011 says the colours and materials of development on sites adjoining or close to bushland “must blend in to the natural landscape”, and roofing materials “should not cause excessive glare and reflection”. Ask council before ordering a new colour.
Where this information comes from
The local details on this page come from these published pages, checked on 1 October 2026.
- Warringah Pittwater Bush Fire Management Committee: Bush Fire Risk Management Plan · Multi-agency bush fire risk plan, 2010, asset register
- Northern Beaches Council: bush fires · Local council guidance, undated
- Eco Logical Australia for Warringah Council: Forestville Park Fire Regime Management Plan · Council fire plan, 19 May 2006, section 3.1
- NSW RFS: building on bush fire prone land, what you need to know · NSW Rural Fire Service guidance on ember attack, gutters and upgrading existing buildings
- NSW RFS: prepare your home · NSW Rural Fire Service guidance
- Northern Beaches Council: bush fire prone land · Local council guidance; map certified 7 August 2020
- State Environmental Planning Policy (Exempt and Complying Development Codes) 2008, clauses 2.53 and 2.54 · NSW planning law: minor external building alterations, including roof cladding
- Northern Beaches Council: FAQs about heritage · Local council guidance, undated
- Warringah Development Control Plan 2011: D10 Building Colours and Materials, D11 Roofs, E10 Landslip Risk · Northern Beaches Council planning controls, live DCP
- NSW Planning Portal map data: bush fire prone land and Warringah LEP landslip risk · NSW Government hazard maps, used for our area calculations
- NSW Planning Portal map data: land zoning and heritage · NSW Government planning maps, used for our area calculations and heritage listings
- NSW Spatial Services: suburb boundaries · NSW Government boundary data, used for our area calculations
- Dictionary of Sydney: Forestville · Local history reference, archived 2021
- ABS: 2021 Census QuickStats, Forestville (NSW) · Housing and household figures
