Automatic Sliding Gates in Western Sydney

Why sliding gates suit so many Western Sydney blocks

A large share of Western Sydney housing sits on blocks where the garage is close to the street. Project homes in estates like Oran Park, Gregory Hills, Marsden Park and Schofields often have a driveway only a car length or two deep. A swing gate needs that depth to open into, and a parked car or a bin can stop it halfway. A sliding gate moves sideways, parallel to the boundary, so the driveway depth stops mattering.

Sliding gates also cope better with fall. Plenty of driveways in the older parts of Blacktown, Seven Hills and Campbelltown rise or drop from the kerb. A swing leaf on a slope has to clear the ground through its whole arc, while a sliding gate only needs a level line along the boundary.

The one thing you need: side clearance

The trade-off is room beside the opening. A sliding gate parks next to itself, so you need a clear run along the fence roughly equal to the width of the gate, plus space for the motor at one end. On a typical estate block that run is often taken up by a letterbox, a meter box, a garden bed or the neighbour's driveway.

Before you request a quote, walk the front boundary and note:

• Total width of the driveway opening
• What sits along the boundary on the side the gate would slide to
• Whether the ground along that run is level, or steps up or down
• Where the nearest power point or switchboard is

That list saves a lot of back and forth once an installer is on site.

Track or trackless

Most residential sliding gates run on a steel track set into the driveway, with wheels under the gate and a toothed rack along it that the motor drives. Tracks are simple and robust, but they collect leaves, gravel and the odd kid's toy, and a track that is not kept clear is the most common reason a sliding gate starts to stall.

Cantilever gates hang off rollers behind the opening and never touch the driveway. They need an even longer run beside the opening, because part of the gate stays behind the rollers, but they suit gravel driveways, rural-residential properties around Kemps Creek, Llandilo and the Camden fringe, and anywhere a track would be a constant cleaning job.

Materials

Aluminium slat and batten designs dominate new estates because they are light, they suit the facade styles builders are using, and they are easy on the motor. Steel frames clad in aluminium or timber-look panels are common on larger or heavier gates. Whatever the finish, ask the installer what the gate weighs, because that figure decides which motor is suitable.

Rules worth checking

Under the NSW exempt development rules, fences on a front or road boundary in residential zones are generally limited to 1.2 metres, and gates must not open outwards. Sliding gates sidestep the outward-swing issue, but a taller gate, a corner block, or a property listed on the State Heritage Register may need approval, so check with your council (Penrith, Blacktown, Parramatta, Liverpool, Campbelltown, Camden or the relevant council for your suburb) before you commit. If you are in a newer estate, read your s88B instrument and the estate design guidelines too, since many restrict front fencing.

The motor, controls and safety devices should be suited to the gate and installed with reference to AS/NZS 60335.2.103, the Australian standard for electric drives on gates. Any new circuit or hard-wired connection to a gate motor in NSW is electrical wiring work, which must be done by a licensed electrician.

Next step

Send us the width of your opening and a photo of the front boundary. We pass it to a local installer who services your area, and they arrange a site visit before giving any price. If you are weighing up the alternative, see automatic swing gates, or read about choosing a gate for a caravan or trailer driveway.