FAQ

An ESD Policy in the Planning Scheme will implement sustainable design principles in the planning process, resulting in improved development outcomes and significant economic, social, and environmental benefits in the short, medium and long term.

The primary objective of the ESD Policy is that development should achieve best practice in environmentally sustainable development from design stage through to construction and operation. 

The justifications for including requirements to achieve sustainable development were clearly set out by the findings of the Environmentally Efficient Design Advisory Committee (EEDAC) for the Round 1 Victorian Councils:

• The involvement of planning at the initial site planning stage enables the orientation, internal layouts and site development to be dealt with in a manner that may assist at the building approval stage in achieving the best design outcome in achieving the minimum or even a higher thermal energy rating of the building.

• There are clear positive economic, social and environmental benefits to be gained through improved sustainable development outcomes in planning.

The amendment is required to strengthen the ability for Council to consider environmentally sustainable development (ESD) in the Local Planning Policy Framework (LPPF).

The need to address this policy gap was identified in the Manningham Planning Scheme Review 2014 (Action R7) and the Manningham Residential Strategy 2012 (Action 2.7).  These actions identify the need to review ESD Guidelines for medium density development and identify appropriate mechanisms for inclusion in the Manningham Planning Scheme.

There is currently no requirement to submit information on sustainable design for medium density or small scale developments outside of the Doncaster Hill Activity Centre Zone. 

The implementation of the policy will ensure that environmentally sustainable design principles are considered in the planning permit application process. 

The amendment proposes to vary Clause 21.10: Ecologically Sustainable Development to the Manningham Planning Scheme by incorporating the key ESD principles in order to establish a clear link between the Municipal Strategic Statement (MSS) and the proposed policy. The main changes to the MSS include introducing objectives relating to energy performance, water sensitive design, internal healthy environment, waste management, transport and urban ecology.

The amendment also proposes to introduce a new policy and guidelines at Clause 22.12 Environmentally Sustainable Development Policy.

Under Clause 22.12, the amendment introduces new strategies; requiring the preparation of Sustainability Management Plans (SMP) or Sustainability Design Assessments (SDA) for developments specified in Table 1 of Clause 22.12.

Assessing all planning applications for new development against the objectives and strategies and ensure that developments specified in Table 1 at Clause 22.12 incorporates best practice.

Terminology

• Sustainable Design Assessment (SDA):  A SDA provides a simple assessment of how the development addresses the ESD principles and identifies sustainability measures.

• Sustainability Management Plan (SMP): The SMP provides a detailed assessment of the proposal and must identify performance standards and sustainability targets.

• Best practice is defined as “a combination of commercially proven techniques, methodologies and systems appropriate to the scale of development and site specific opportunities and constraints, which are demonstrated and locally available and have already led to optimum ESD outcomes. Best practice in the built environment encompasses the full life of the build.”

The ability of individual Councils to set particular thresholds to reflect the individual characteristics of the municipality was acknowledged by the Advisory Committee and Panel in Round 1.

The proposed ESD Policy sets out application requirements for specified types of developments. More specifically, it will prescribe when a Sustainable Design Assessment (SDA) or a Sustainability Management Plan (SMP) will need to be prepared and submitted with planning permit applications. 

Development of 10 dwellings or more and non-residential developments over 1000sqm, are proposed to be Manningham’s “large” development triggers where a formal and detailed SMP is required to be submitted.

For the remaining category of development comprising three to nine dwellings a less detailed SDA would be required to be submitted and assessed.

Also non-residential developments with a gross floor area between 500sqm and 1000sqm would require the submission of a SDA.

Manningham’s proposed triggers for the two types of ESD information are intended to be proportional to the scale of development to ensure that the proposed thresholds are reasonable whilst maximising environmental benefits.

Councils, including Manningham, have been supporting the Sustainable Design Assessment in the Planning Process (SDAPP) framework and the related assessment tools (initially STEPS (Sustainable Tools for Environmental Performance Strategy) and SDS (Sustainable Design Scorecard) and more recently BESS (Built Environment Sustainability Scorecard)).

The ESD Policy proposes to introduce objectives relating to the following indicators:

• Energy performance
• Water resources
• Indoor environment quality
• Stormwater management
• Transport
• Waste management
• Urban ecology.

Manningham and Darebin City Councils make up the second round group of metropolitan Councils proposing to introduce ESD Policy provisions into their planning schemes.

The first round of Councils developed an ESD Policy and submitted a joint Amendment to the Minister for Planning for approval in 2014.

First round of Victorian Councils

In the absence of a Statewide approach to environmentally sustainable design, a group of Victorian Councils developed an ESD Policy for inclusion in various local Planning Schemes.  The municipalities of Banyule, Moreland, Port Phillip, Stonnington, Whitehorse and Yarra made up the first round of Victorian councils to submit a joint Amendment to the Minister for Planning for approval in 2014.  That amendment was approved by the Minister for Planning and gazetted on 19 November 2015.

The first round of Councils’ ESD policies were introduced under the following planning scheme  amendments:

• Banyule Planning Scheme - Amendment C73
• Moreland Planning Scheme - Amendment C71
• Stonnington Planning Scheme - Amendment C177
• Whitehorse Planning Scheme - Amendment C130
• Yarra Planning Scheme - Amendment C133
• Port Phillip Scheme- Amendment C97

For more information on each of these Councils’ individual policies visit the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning website. An independent panel reviewed the introduction of the ESD policies for the first round of Councils in April 2014 and the Advisory Committee Report is available on this website page.