Development in Daly - Tiwi - West Arnhem

NT

Building approvals, live development applications and major projects across the Daly - Tiwi - West Arnhem statistical area — covering West Arnhem, West Daly and Tiwi Islands and 5 more.

SA3 70203 Rest of NT 18,716 residents 5 statistical areas
Approved · FY25 38 dwellings approved
vs 5-yr average 22 average approvals a year
In the queue 23 applications on record
Major projects 9 5 already under construction
Data Sources ABSCouncil planning portals ABS to June 2026 · Refreshed ABS QuickStats SA3 70203 How we calculate this

The Pipeline Development Pipeline in Daly - Tiwi - West Arnhem

1 Proposed 23 applications on record, none of them currently open Latest February 2026 See applications ↓
2 Approved 38 dwellings approved in 2024-25, or 0.20 per 100 existing dwellings a year Official · ABS to June 2026 See approvals ↓
3 Building 9 major projects committed or under construction, 5 of them already on site Forward · completions to 2030+ See projects ↓
4 Delivered 82 new addresses verified since the 2021 Census, up 2.0% on the existing base Actual · to June 2026 Where it landed ↓
In the 2024-25 financial year the ABS recorded 38 dwelling approvals across Daly - Tiwi - West Arnhem. AreaSearch tracks 9 major projects here that are committed or under construction, the largest being Darwin Region Water Supply Infrastructure Program - Stage 1 at an estimated $1.50bn. On the ground, 82 new addresses have been verified since the 2021 Census — growth of 2.0% on the existing address base.

These four figures are deliberately not added together. An application, an approval and a project under construction are often the same building at three points in its life, measured by three different bodies with three different lags. Read them as a sequence, not a total.

Approved Building Approvals in Daly - Tiwi - West Arnhem

What councils and certifiers have formally permitted — the ABS series, published about four months in arrears.

Approvals are running at 0.20 per 100 existing dwellings a year, below the Northern Territory rate of 0.26. The mix is genuinely split — 64% of recent approvals are detached houses and 37% are attached or higher-density dwellings. That is a clear shift toward density — the five-year average is 73% houses. Detached houses make up 84% of the homes already standing here but only 73% of the past five years of approvals, so the area is densifying. The average approved dwelling is valued at $510,000 in construction cost.

Dwelling units approved each financial year. The dashed line is the five-year average of 22.

How intensively is it building?

Dwelling approvals a year per 100 existing dwellings.

Daly - Tiwi - West Arnhem 0.20
Northern Territory 0.26
Australia 0.71

What is here, and what is coming

Detached houses as a share of existing homes, against the share of recent approvals.

Existing homes (2021 Census) 84%
Approved, last 5 years 73%
Approved, latest year 64%
Detached houses Apartments, townhouses & other

Approvals mix by year

Share of each year’s approvals.

2022
2023
2024
2025
2024-25
$20.7m
Residential work approved
2024-25
$7.8m
Commercial work approved
construction cost
$510,000
Average value per approved dwelling
last two years
501
Residents per approval

Supply & Demand Is Daly - Tiwi - West Arnhem Building Enough Homes?

The same approvals, measured against the population they have to house.

Daly - Tiwi - West Arnhem approves about 1.2 new dwellings a year for every 1,000 residents. Since the 2021 Census it has added 2,911 residents but only 82 new addresses — about 35.5 extra people for every home built, against an average household of 4.3. On those numbers supply has not kept pace with growth. Housing the population projected for 2041 implies roughly 33 new dwellings a year from here, which puts the recent approval rate of 22 a year behind what the projection needs.

Growth against supply since the Census

People added for every new address verified, against the size of an average local household.

People added per new home 35.5
Average household size 4.3

A bar longer than the household average means the area gained more residents than its new housing could hold, and the extra had to be absorbed by existing homes.

Approval rate against projected need

Dwellings a year: what is currently being approved, against what the 2041 population projection implies.

Approved (5-yr average) 22
Implied need to 2041 33

Implied need assumes the average household stays at today’s 4.3 people. Approvals are not completions, and not every approval is built.

ProposedLEADING · to February 2026 Development Applications in Daly - Tiwi - West Arnhem

What is being asked for right now — applications collected from council planning portals, before any of it reaches the ABS series above. AreaSearch tracks applications of material scale; routine minor works such as signage and fencing changes are not carried, so these are not counts of every application lodged. 2 of them carry an AreaSearch analyst assessment — look for the Analysed marker in the search below.

AreaSearch tracks 23 development applications of material scale lodged with councils across Daly - Tiwi - West Arnhem, the most recent in February 2026. The most common types in the queue are commercial, retail and multi-residential.
Coverage

AreaSearch reads applications directly from each council’s planning register. Daly - Tiwi - West Arnhem is not yet covered evenly. West Arnhem (44% of residents) — no lodgement dates published; West Daly (21% of residents) — no lodgement dates published; Tiwi Islands (16% of residents) — no lodgement dates published; Victoria Daly (5.9% of residents) — no applications collected from its register. Those councils are under-represented in every count and chart below.

Number of applications by development type. This is the clearest single picture of what kind of place Daly - Tiwi - West Arnhem is being asked to become. Councils in Northern Territory do not publish an estimated cost of works in their planning feeds, so applications here are counted rather than valued.

Where the applications stand

As reported by the council. Highlighted rows are applications still in assessment.

Archived 20
In Progress 2
On exhibition 1

3 applications are still marked under assessment but were lodged more than 18 months ago. Councils often leave determined or abandoned applications open in their feeds, so they are counted here but excluded from the live queue above.

By local government area

Applications on record within each council area that overlaps Daly - Tiwi - West Arnhem. This counts applications inside this statistical area only — it is not a total for the council.

Tiwi Islands 7
West Daly 6
West Arnhem 4
Coomalie 4

Recent applications in Daly - Tiwi - West Arnhem

By the number of dwellings proposed, as lodged. Figures are the applicant’s own and are not verified by AreaSearch.

Material Change of Use for 14-unit rooming accommodation and a 1-into-2 lot subdivision Alligator · In Progress · lodged Feb 2026
14 dwellings
Two 2-storey rooming accommodation buildings (14 rooms total) and 1 into 2 lot subdivision Alligator · In Progress · lodged Feb 2026
14 dwellings

BuildingFORWARD Major Projects & Infrastructure in Daly - Tiwi - West Arnhem

What is funded and moving — the projects large enough to change how Daly - Tiwi - West Arnhem works, ranked by committed value and how close they are to delivery.

AreaSearch tracks 9 current projects across Daly - Tiwi - West Arnhem. The largest is Darwin Region Water Supply Infrastructure Program - Stage 1 at an estimated $1.50bn, due by 2026. That breaks down as 5 under construction, 1 approved and awaiting a start and 3 still in planning. The pipeline is weighted toward environmental & disaster management, energy and tourism.
Darwin Region Water Supply Infrastructure Program - Stage 1
Under construction $1.50bn by 2026

Darwin Region Water Supply Infrastructure Program - Stage 1

A $1.5 billion nationally significant water infrastructure program to secure the Darwin region's water supply for 50-plus years. Stage 1 involves returning Manton Dam to service as an operational drinking…

Alligator

Growing Tourism in Kakadu Infrastructure Upgrades
Under construction $216m by 2027

Growing Tourism in Kakadu Infrastructure Upgrades

Australian Government program to upgrade visitor infrastructure across Kakadu National Park and support Jabiru's transition to a tourism-based economy after the Ranger Uranium Mine closure. The package…

Alligator

Jabiru Masterplan
Under construction $446m by 2030

Jabiru Masterplan

The Jabiru Masterplan is a 446 million dollar redevelopment transforming the former uranium mining town into a sustainable tourism and regional services hub within Kakadu National Park. Governed by the…

Alligator

Also in the pipeline

Manton Dam Return to Service and Strauss Water Treatment Plant Under construction · Environmental & Disaster Management · by 2026 · Alligator
$190m
Tiwi Islands Roads Upgrades Program Under construction · Transport & Logistics · by 2028 · Tiwi Islands
$75m
Desert Springs Octopus Renewable Energy Program In planning · Energy · by 2030 · Daly
$1.00bn
Batchelor Airport Master Plan In planning · Transport & Logistics · by 2045 · Alligator
$50m
Territory-Wide Coordinated Solar Light Upgrade Program - Batchelor Aerodrome Approved · Energy · by 2027 · Alligator
Tiwi Islands Tourism and Residential Development Opportunities In planning · Tourism · Tiwi Islands

AI Generated Denotes AI-based impression for illustrative purposes only, not to be taken as definitive under any circumstances. Please follow links and conduct other investigations from the project’s source for actual imagery. Developers and project owners wishing us to use original imagery please Contact Us and we will do so.

Beyond 2030: a further $50m across 1 project with completion dates further out — mostly precinct-scale programs whose dates are indicative. Kept out of the chart so the years you can act on stay readable.

Estimated value of tracked projects by the year they are due to complete, stacked by how certain they are. The dark band is money already being spent; the pale band is still an intention. Estimates are indicative and mix infrastructure cost with whole-of-precinct development value, so read the shape rather than the totals.

Approvals Pipeline Development Applications in Daly - Tiwi - West Arnhem

Development applications around Daly - Tiwi - West Arnhem

Development approvals is a new addition to AreaSearch. We’re actively expanding council coverage and refining the dataset — details and statuses for some councils may be partial. Check back regularly for the latest pipeline.
Applications
In the local catchment
Est. Value
Where disclosed
Under Assessment
Awaiting determination
Determined
Approved or decided
Approvals pipeline Status, location, timing and project scale

Loading development applications…

Lodged Address Description Type Distance Status

SOURCE: Planning portals and council registers, compiled by AreaSearch. Distance & bearing measured from the suburb midpoint.

ProfessionalPRO Development Map for Daly - Tiwi - West Arnhem

Applications and major projects plotted where they are actually proposed, with the 14 projects AreaSearch tracks here on their own tab — filterable by type, delivery stage, area and committed value. To search every application on record rather than this sample, use the section above.

Distribution Where Development Is Happening in Daly - Tiwi - West Arnhem

Daly - Tiwi - West Arnhem covers 5 statistical areas. Follow any of them through for a full profile of population, housing, sales and amenity at local scale.
Map builder

Each area below opens a map builder on its own page — a tool for putting a map and a table into a report. Pick the place types you want plotted (schools, supermarkets, medical, child care, transport and the rest of what AreaSearch holds), add development applications as their own layer, drop your own points, then recolour, renumber and export the result as a table or CSV. A this area only toggle clips everything to the boundary you are looking at. Searches are charged against your credit balance — 1 credit per 40 results from AreaSearch data — and setting filters costs nothing until you search. The builder works on one suburb-sized area at a time, which is why it opens per area rather than across the whole of Daly - Tiwi - West Arnhem.

West Arnhem area profile

No separate approvals series published
2 applications on record
Build a map

Alligator area profile

No separate approvals series published
8 applications on record · 54 new addresses since 2021
Build a map

Tiwi Islands area profile

No separate approvals series published
7 applications on record · 21 new addresses since 2021
Build a map

Thamarrurr area profile

No separate approvals series published
4 applications on record
Build a map

Daly area profile

No separate approvals series published
2 applications on record
Build a map

Planning Authorities Councils Covering Daly - Tiwi - West Arnhem

Daly - Tiwi - West Arnhem spans 8 local government areas — West Arnhem, West Daly, Tiwi Islands, Coomalie, Victoria Daly, Wagait, Belyuen and East Arnhem. Applications here are assessed by whichever of those councils the site falls within. AreaSearch publishes development figures at ABS statistical boundaries rather than council boundaries. That is deliberate: the ABS issues a separate official building-approvals series for local government areas, and totals built up from statistical areas would not match it. Reporting at SA3 keeps every figure on this page reconcilable with the published ABS series.
Local government areaShare of Daly - Tiwi - West ArnhemApplications on recordRegister read to
West Arnhem 44% of residents 4 No dates published
West Daly 21% of residents 6 No dates published
Tiwi Islands 16% of residents 7 No dates published
Coomalie 8.9% of residents 4 February 2026
Victoria Daly 5.9% of residents Not yet collected
Wagait 2.9% of residents Not yet collected
Belyuen 1.0% of residents Not yet collected
East Arnhem 0.0% of residents Not yet collected

Compare Nearby Development Hubs

The same view of building approvals, applications and major projects for areas neighbouring Daly - Tiwi - West Arnhem.

Data & Method Sources & Method for Daly - Tiwi - West Arnhem

The four tenses, and what each one can tell you

Proposed — development applications
Collected from council planning portals. The earliest signal available, but the least certain: many applications are amended, withdrawn or refused, values are the applicant’s own estimate, and coverage varies by council. This is a curated set, not the full council feed: AreaSearch carries applications of material scale and does not track routine minor works such as signage, fencing or small alterations, so the counts here are lower than a council’s own total lodgement figure and should not be compared with it. Applications still shown as under assessment more than 18 months after lodgement are reported separately and kept out of the live-queue figures: the age profile of open applications is sharply split between a genuine queue under a year old and a long tail of records councils never closed. Not every state publishes a cost of works — Queensland, the Northern Territory and the ACT publish none at all — so on those pages applications are counted rather than valued and no dollar figure is shown rather than a partial one. Treated here as a snapshot of the current queue only — AreaSearch does not chart application counts over time, because the history reflects when each portal was collected rather than when development happened.
Approved — ABS building approvals
The official series, aggregated to SA3 from ABS building approvals data, currently published to June 2026. Counts dwelling units approved, not buildings and not completions. The most recent financial year is annualised from nine months of data wherever it appears and is labelled as such.
Building — major projects
Projects tracked individually by AreaSearch from Infrastructure Australia, state infrastructure agencies, developer disclosures and council records. Values are estimates and delivery dates are targets. Ranked on this page by committed value and delivery stage rather than by distance.
Delivered — verified new addresses
New residential addresses verified in the national address register since the 2021 Census. This is the closest available measure of what has actually been built, though address creation can lead occupation and lags construction. It is not a completions count.

Boundaries

Daly - Tiwi - West Arnhem is Statistical Area Level 3 70203 in the ABS Australian Statistical Geography Standard (2021 edition), made up of 5 Statistical Areas Level 2. It has an estimated 18,716 residents, +18.4% since the 2021 Census.

Currency

MeasureSourceTo
Dwelling approvals, five-year average ABS / AreaSearch June 2026
House share of approvals ABS / AreaSearch June 2026
Residents per approval ABS / AreaSearch June 2026
Value per approved dwelling ABS / AreaSearch June 2026
Commercial work approved ABS / AreaSearch June 2026
Verified new addresses since the Census Address register / AreaSearch May 2026
Development applications Council planning portals February 2026
Major projects Infrastructure Australia / state agencies / AreaSearch Ongoing

Figures on this page are read live from the AreaSearch database each time it loads, so they update as soon as a source does.

Development in Daly - Tiwi - West Arnhem — common questions

How many new dwellings were approved in Daly - Tiwi - West Arnhem?

The ABS recorded 38 dwelling approvals across Daly - Tiwi - West Arnhem in the 2024-25 financial year, against a five-year average of 22 a year.

How many development applications are lodged in Daly - Tiwi - West Arnhem?

AreaSearch tracks 23 development applications of material scale across Daly - Tiwi - West Arnhem — routine minor works such as signage and fencing are not included, so this is not a count of every application lodged. Applications are assessed within the West Arnhem, West Daly and Tiwi Islands local government areas. The most recent application in our data was lodged in February 2026.

What major projects are planned for Daly - Tiwi - West Arnhem?

AreaSearch tracks 9 current major projects in Daly - Tiwi - West Arnhem, 5 of them under construction. The largest include Darwin Region Water Supply Infrastructure Program - Stage 1, Growing Tourism in Kakadu Infrastructure Upgrades and Jabiru Masterplan.

Which council covers Daly - Tiwi - West Arnhem?

Daly - Tiwi - West Arnhem is an ABS Statistical Area Level 3. It is covered by parts of 8 local government areas — West Arnhem, West Daly, Tiwi Islands, Coomalie, Victoria Daly, Wagait, Belyuen and East Arnhem. AreaSearch publishes development figures at ABS statistical boundaries rather than council boundaries, so they reconcile with the official ABS series.

Is Daly - Tiwi - West Arnhem growing faster than the rest of Northern Territory?

On development approvals, Daly - Tiwi - West Arnhem is adding new dwellings more slowly than Northern Territory as a whole — 0.20 approvals per 100 existing dwellings a year against the state figure of 0.26.

How current is this development data?

ABS building approvals are published with a lag of roughly four months; this page carries the series to June 2026. Development applications are collected from council planning portals and refresh continuously, with the most recent application here lodged in February 2026. Major project records are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Each section carries its own currency label so the four are never confused.

Development data is provided for general information. Estimated values, dwelling counts and delivery dates come from the lodging or delivering party and are not independently verified by AreaSearch. Confirm anything material with the relevant council or agency before relying on it.