Incorporating environmentally sustainable design into new development is now a requirement under the Whittlesea Planning Scheme, Clause 22.01 - Environmentally Sustainable Development which was introduced in October 2018. The overarching objective is that development should achieve best practice in environmentally sustainable development from the design stage through to construction and operation.
The policy provides objectives and application requirements for residential, mixed use and non-residential development. It recognises the importance of considering environmentally sustainable design at the time of planning approval for new development.
Council can assist you to incorporate environmentally sustainable design into your development during the planning process. If you are preparing a planning application, we encourage you to come in for a pre-application meeting or speak to Council's Environmentally Sustainable Planning Officer to discuss your application.
An application must be accompanied by either a Sustainable Design Assessment (SDA) or a Sustainability Management Plan (SMP):
Various assessment tools like BESS, Green Star, STORM and MUSIC may be used to assess how the proposed development addresses the objectives of the policy, as appropriate. More information on ESD tools can be found in the fact sheet below.
We have developed template for Sustainable Design Assessment (SDA) which aims to provide indication of the expected information.
Sustainability Objectives - Whittlesea's Sustainability Design Standards
When applying for a planning permit to construct a new building or altering/ adding to existing building, you will need to provide information with your planning permit application across the following areas:
- Energy Performance
- Water resources
- Indoor environment quality
- Stormwater management
- Transport
- Waste management
- Urban ecology
- Other categories not specifically covered by the planning clause 22.01:
- Building materials
- Construction building management
- Innovation
To assist you on how to consider these categories and achieve the best outcome for your building, council has adopted a series of SDAPP fact sheets. The fact sheets provide background information, design guidance and best practice standards across the 10 key categories relevant to your development. These fact sheets are also used by other Victorian Councils.
Policy objectives:
- To achieve a healthy indoor environment quality for the wellbeing of building occupants, including the provision of fresh air intake, cross ventilation, and natural daylight.
- To achieve thermal comfort levels with minimised need for mechanical heating, ventilation and cooling.
- To reduce indoor air pollutants by encouraging use of materials with low toxicity chemicals.
- To reduce reliance on mechanical heating, ventilation, cooling and lighting systems.
- To minimise noise levels and noise transfer within and between buildings and associated external areas.
Whittlesea Council expectations:
- Adequate daylight to all living areas, bedrooms and all other regularly occupied spaces (as defined in BESS)
- All living rooms to have north facing windows
- Openable windows in all habitable rooms
- Appropriate shading to all windows receiving direct sunlight.
Fact sheet:
Indoor Environment Quality
Policy Objectives:
- To reduce the impact of stormwater run-off.
- To improve the water quality of stormwater run-off.
- To achieve best practice stormwater quality outcomes.
- To incorporate the use of water sensitive urban design, including stormwater reuse.
Whittlesea Council Expectations:
- 100% STORM score or MUSIC modelling demonstrating best practice stormwater management
Fact sheets:
Stormwater Management
Site permeability
While the following categories are not specifically covered in Clause 22.01, the information does often overlap with other categories. City of Whittlesea encourages development applicants to also address these categories in any proposed development.
- Building materials
- Construction building management
- Innovation
- Melbourne Climate
Whittlesea Council Expectations:
- Substitute cement content of concrete with recycled content.
- Select low embodied energy materials. Limit or do not use aluminium, zinc and other high embodied energy materials.
- Source all timber from sustainably managed sources that hold third party verification.
- Select recycled or re-usable materials.
- Avoid materials which are toxic in manufacture and use.
- Select low maintenance and highly durable materials.
- Preparation and availability of Building Users Guide (BUG)
- Individual utility meters for all dwellings and non-residential areas/ tenancies.
Fact sheets:
Building materials
Construction & building management
Innovation
Melbourne Climate
If you require further assistance, please contact us on 9217 2259 or email buildplan@whittlesea.vic.gov.au.