When required by the ESD Policy, planning application drawings are to be accompanied by an ESD report to demonstrate best practice in Environmentally Sustainable Design (ESD).
Guidance for ESD reports
- DO - make clear best practice commitments, listing initiatives succinctly under each ESD category heading
- DO - use rating tools to support the best practice claims
- DO - provide supporting information in appendices
- DO – include WSUD information within the Stormwater section of the ESD report rather than a separate report
- DO NOT – reference meeting building code or other legal minimum standards (these are minimums, not best practice)
- DO NOT - present business-as-usual design as best practice (e.g. standard building materials, a window per room, etc.)
- DO NOT - use non-committal language such as ‘recommended’, ‘could’, ‘should’
- DO NOT – provide executive summaries in short reports
- DO NOT – repeat information where avoidable (e.g. BESS credit details, raingarden details, etc.).
Options for SDA
The pre-written SDA Alternate Pathway can be used, or you can write your own SDA. Reports from appropriate rating tools are encouraged to be included within SDA to support claims of best practice, however, these are insufficient on their own when an SDA is required.
Brimbank offer a pre-written SDA report which can be used for typical 2-9 townhouse developments. The SDA Alternate Pathway is automatically accepted if the initiatives are clearly implemented in the drawings and the WSUD strategy is acceptable.
- The use of this document is voluntary
- It can be used on 2-9 typical townhouse developments with a maximum of 3 stories
- All initiatives are pre-entered with only two choices to be made
- It automatically satisfies the ESD requirements if incorporated in the building design
- No BESS report is required
- May avoid the need to employ an ESD consultant
- An acceptable WSUD strategy with a STORM report is required
- The SDA alternate pathway (PDF 75.4 KB) is available
- See ESD rating tools.
A Sustainable Design Assessment (SDA) is a simple, sustainability assessment that demonstrates best practice in Environmentally Sustainable Design (ESD) performance from the design stage through to construction and operation.
- ESD best practice initiatives should be listed under the 10 sustainable building categories
- An SDA is a single document which incorporates WSUD initiatives within the Water and Stormwater categories (rather than a separate WSUD report)
- Supporting information should be included in appendices (e.g. reports for BESS, STORM/MUSIC, preliminary NatHERS, etc.).
- See the Guidance for ESD reports
- A SDA template (PDF 75.4 KB) is available which has guidance on what to include and exclude in the sustainable design assessment
- See ESD rating tools for more information on related rating tools.
A Sustainability Management Plan (SMP) is a detailed sustainability assessment that demonstrates best practice in Environmentally Sustainable Design (ESD) and performance from the design stage through to construction and operation.
- A single document which incorporates WSUD initiatives within the Water and Stormwater categories is sought (rather than a separate WSUD report)
- ESD best practice initiatives should be listed under the 10 Sustainable Building categories
- An SMP is a single document which incorporates WSUD initiatives within the Water and Stormwater categories (rather than a separate report)
- Supporting information should be included in appendices (e.g. reports for BESS, STORM/MUSIC, preliminary NatHERS, daylight modelling, energy reports, etc.)
- SMPs should be prepared by a suitable qualified and experienced sustainability consultant
- See the Guidance for ESD reports
- See ESD rating tools for more information on related rating tools.
Best practice in water sensitive urban design (WSUD) is required to be demonstrated for planning applications for subdivisions as well as for buildings and works.
- Where ESD best practice is required to be demonstrated a single document which incorporates WSUD initiatives within the Water and Stormwater categories is sought rather than a separate WSUD report
- Only when development does not require an ESD report should a standalone WSUD report be provided.
WSUD reports are to demonstrate best practice in design, construction and operation. See Stormwater management.
- Refer to the Brimbank ESD Guidance - Water Sensitive Urban Design (PDF 2.3 MB) for information about preferred WSUD strategies and submission requirements
- WSUD strategy – Describe the WSUD strategy
- WSUD treatment types – Please follow the Brimbank WSUD Hierarchy and the ‘Encouraged WSUD treatment methods’ listed in order of preference in the ESD Guidance - Water Sensitive Urban Design
- WSUD Modelling – either STORM or MUSIC is sought to evidence best practice
- WSUD plan – A drawing is sought which indicates the catchments and treatments
- WSUD device details – Details are sought of treatment devices appropriate to assess their effectiveness
- WSUD during construction – Provide detail of, or reference to an appropriate erosion and sediment control measures to be employed during construction (this may be included in a Construction Management Plan for larger projects).
- WSUD during operation – Maintenance commitments are sought for each treatment device to ensure they operate effectively for the life of the development.
See ESD Rating tools for more information on related rating tools.
Green Travel Plans (GTP) are required for some developments where the number of building visitors or occupants are likely to be significant. They are to demonstrate where initiatives meet best practice related to the Transport objectives of the ESD Policy. Please speak to the City Planning team to establish if a GTP is required for your project.
- ESD report – Physical infrastructure (e.g. bicycle and electric vehicle charging facilities) are to be covered in the SDA or SMP reports. Do not repeat this information in the GTP.
- GTP – Where required under the ESD Policy these should focus on operational initiatives noting how the development will facilitate the following (noted in order of preference):
- Walking and cycling over vehicle use (e.g. ride to work day)
- Use of public transport over private vehicle use (e.g. on-site access routes, prominent display of relevant public transport timetables, provision of Myki cards to new residents/employees, etc.)
- Use of shared vehicles over independent vehicle use (e.g. establishment of a car-pooling database for occupants)
- Provision of a ‘Share Car’ parking space within the development for use by the building occupants, as well as the wider community. (NB. viability should be evidenced with documentation from car share providers)
- Identify targets, persons responsible for the implementation of actions, and relevant timescales.
What to submit:
- Site plan – building/roof/paving extent, cycling and electric vehicle charging facilities, clotheslines, vegetated areas and any productive gardens
- Floor plans – internal bicycle parking, electrical vehicle charging points, waste/recycling storage area, note residential windows can be locked open, thermal performance improvement above NCC requirements, extent of double glazing, paving extent and permeability, stormwater treatment device locations, dash floor/roof/awning/skylights over, any other natural light or ventilation openings, external shading device locations (dimension projection)
- Roof plans – roof material and colour, roof- and skylights, roof ventilators, any photovoltaic arrays (noting generation capacity), any thermal collectors for solar water heating (noting % boost)
- Elevations – shading type and extent (e.g. dash line showing the extent of pull-down awnings, etc.), window and door sash operation, glazing Visible Light Transmission (per daylight modelling), any other natural light or ventilation openings
- Sections – Consider if sections are required to communicate daylight and ventilation penetration (e.g. for clerestories)
- WSUD Plan – See WSUD Report above.
See Brimbank ESD Guidance - Checklist for townhouses (PDF 584.2 KB).
