Automatic Gates in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs

Tight frontages and steep driveways

The Eastern Suburbs mixes very different housing. Paddington, Woollahra and parts of Bondi have Victorian terraces with almost no front setback. Bellevue Hill, Vaucluse and Dover Heights have large homes on steep harbour and ocean slopes, often with long, sloping driveways. Randwick, Coogee, Kensington and Maroubra have a lot of interwar brick semis and freestanding homes on narrow lots.

That mix shapes the gate. On a terrace or semi, there is often no room to swing a gate inwards, and NSW exempt rules say gates must not open outwards, so a sliding gate is the usual answer if there is enough side run. On a steep driveway, a slider also avoids the problem of a swing gate hitting the rising ground.

Councils and heritage

The area is covered by Waverley, Woollahra and Randwick councils. Large parts of Paddington, Woollahra and other older suburbs sit in heritage conservation areas. In NSW, fences along a road boundary in a conservation area cannot be built as exempt development, which generally means a development application. Check your council's planning maps early. Our article on gates in heritage conservation areas explains what that usually involves.

Coastal exposure

Homes close to Bondi, Bronte, Coogee and Maroubra get salt spray and strong winds. Ask about coating systems, stainless fixings and a washdown routine. A slatted aluminium gate also catches less wind than a solid panel.

Apartment buildings

The Eastern Suburbs has a high share of strata buildings with basement car parks off narrow streets. Boom gates and security gates for these entries need to handle heavy use and pedestrians on the footpath, and the owners corporation needs to approve changes to common property.

Getting connected

Send us your suburb and a photo of your frontage, and we will pass your enquiry to an independent local installer who works in the Eastern Suburbs.