Sustainable Design Assessment in the Planning Process

Category

Objective

Indoor Environment Quality

To achieve a healthy indoor environment quality for the wellbeing of building occupants.

Energy Efficiency and Sunshading

To ensure the efficient use of energy, reduce  greenhouse emissions and operating costs, and reduce peak energy demand.

Water Efficiency

To ensure the efficient use of water, reduce potable water consumption, reduce operating costs, and to encourage the appropriate use of alternative water sources.

Stormwater Management and Site Permeability

To reduce the impact of stormwater run-off, achieve best practice stormwater quality outcomes, and to include Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) principles.

Building Materials

To minimise the environmental impacts of building materials by encouraging the use of materials with a favourable lifecycle assessment.

Transport

To minimise car dependency and to ensure that the built environment is designed to promote the use of public transport, walking and cycling.

Waste Management

To minimise waste, by encouraging re-use and recycling during the construction and operational stages of the development.

Urban Ecology and Green Roofs, Walls and Facades

To protect and enhance biodiversity, encourage the planting of indigenous vegetation and reduce the Urban Heat Island (UHI) impact of the development.

Innovation and Melbourne's Climate

To encourage innovative technology into the design of the development that will deliver enhanced environmental and social benefits to the community.

Construction and Building Management

To encourage a holistic and integrated design and construction process that will reduce overall construction costs, ensure regulatory compliance and minimise the environmental footprint of the development.

SDAPP category

 Required documentation

Important information

There is no additional documentation required in addition to the planning permit application documents.

We strongly recommend applicants seek advice from Council in relation to the ESD elements, as all planning permit applications and building proposals are rated against the 10 key sustainable building categories.

Complete the online BESS tool or complete the relevant City of Maribyrnong SDA online template for:

• Residential developments(DOC, 47KB)
• Non-residential developments(DOCX, 25KB) .

Once completed, provide a copy of the assessment with your planning application or building proposal.

Sustainable Management Plan (SMP)

Green Travel Plan
(Council best practice standard)

This detailed sustainability assessment must be prepared by an ESD expert given the complexities of proposals in this category.

Large category proposals will be subject to a rigorous ESD assessment by Council Planning officers against each of the 10 key sustainable building categories.

Online assessment tools

Use the City of Maribyrnong templates to assist in the preparation of your Sustainable Design Assessment (SDA) required for medium category proposals:

• Residential developments(DOC, 47KB)
• Non residential developments(DOCX, 25KB) .

Visit the Built Environment Sustainability Scorecard (BESS) website to use the online assessment tool. The BESS tool, created by local governments in Victoria, assists builders and developers demonstrate how a proposed development addresses sustainable design at the planning permit stage.

 Online rating calculators

Visit the Federal Government's Water Rating website to discover how water efficient the appliances you plan on installing are, by using the Water Efficient Labelling and Standards (WELS) scheme.

Use the calculator available on the Energy Rating website to make informed decisions about the energy efficiency of the appliances you plan to install.

Visit the National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS) - a national rating system that measures energy efficiency, water usage, waste management and indoor environment quality of a building or tenancy and its impact on the environment.

Visit the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme website to work out the star rating of your development based on its design.

Visit Melbourne Water's STORM calculator to assess whether best practice stormwater objectives have been achieved in your development.

General information

Visit the Green Building Council of Australia's website, the nation's authority on sustainable buildings, communities and cities.

Visit the Council Alliance for a Sustainable Built Environment website, which is an association made up of many local government authorities including Maribyrnong City Council, and is committed to the creation of a sustainable built environment.

Visit the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning's website to view the key strategic document that governs development in the City of Maribyrnong.

Visit the Federal Government’s Your Home website which is a guide to building, buying or renovating a home. It shows how to create a comfortable home with low impact on the environment, economical to run, healthier to live in, and adaptable to your changing needs.

Visit Melbourne Water’s website and get tips and ideas on how to create your very own self-watering, low-maintenance rain garden by capturing stormwater.