What Is the Sustainable Design Assessment in the Planning Process (SDAPP)?

The Sustainable Design Assessment in the Planning Process (SDAPP) is an initiative developed to ensure environmentally sustainable design considerations are embedded in urban planning and planning permit application processes. Through the SDAPP framework, project teams collaborate to create a more sustainable built environment, benefiting the community and reducing environmental impact over the long term.
This approach supports CASBE (an alliance for a sustainable built future) by integrating ESD principles into every planning application. SDAPP encourages an early focus on energy efficiency, stormwater management, and renewable energy, ensuring new developments stay aligned with sustainable objectives.

Why SDAPP Matters

Embracing sustainable development during the planning permit stage is vital for best practice building design. Integrating passive design principles, including thermal mass, and incorporating renewable energy systems lowers energy consumption, helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and supports favourable lifecycle assessment outcomes. Such sustainability measures ensure the efficient use of resources, leading to cost savings for commercial buildings and dwellings alike.
By highlighting environmentally sustainable design right from the assessment in the planning process, SDAPP helps reduce car dependency by encouraging walking and cycling infrastructure, public transport accessibility, and urban design strategies. These measures combat the urban heat island effect and improve water usage via storm calculator tools and advanced stormwater treatments, ultimately supporting development outcomes that align with principles of sustainable and efficient use of resources.

How SDAPP Works

Under the SDAPP planning permit approvals process, planning schemes categorise applications by size and type of development to determine the level of sustainability assessment required. This system is designed to assist in determining the category—small, medium, or large—and ensure each project incorporates key environmental performance measures. Plans and assessments must accompany your application so that planning officers can consider environmental impacts comprehensively.

1. Small Projects

  • These often involve fewer sustainability requirements, but certain guidelines may still request specific ESD measures to reduce operating costs and enhance building or tenancy performance.

2. Medium Projects – Require a Sustainable Design Assessment (SDA)

  • Applicable to developments with 2 to 9 dwellings or between 100m² and 1000m² of non-residential Gross Floor Area (GFA).
  • This sustainable design assessment process usually employs assessment tools like the Built Environment Sustainability Scorecard (BESS)—often referred to as the BESS tool—to measure compliance across the 10 key sustainable building categories.

3. Large Projects – Require a Sustainable Management Plan (SMP)

  • Mandatory for developments with 10+ dwellings or over 1000m² GFA in commercial buildings or multi-residential settings.
  • An SMP is a comprehensive plan identifying best practice standards, covering areas such as energy rating, stormwater treatment, and waste management. This ensures large category proposals fully address environmental performance expectations and are committed to the creation of a more sustainable built environment.

10 Key Sustainable Building Categories

Projects often reference tools such as NABERS (the National Australian Built Environment Rating System) to achieve favourable lifecycle assessment results and ensure the development meets or exceeds industry benchmarks.
Under SDAPP, the 10 key sustainable building categories guide assessment and approval processes:

1. Indoor Environment Quality

2. Energy Efficiency (e.g., sunshading, energy rating, passive design)

3. Water Efficiency (e.g., efficient fixtures, storm calculator)

4. Stormwater Management (including site permeability)

5. Building Materials (low-impact, high-performance)

6. Transport (e.g., public transport access, cycle facilities to minimise car dependency)

7. Waste Management (during and after construction)

8. Urban Ecology (e.g., greenroofs, walls & façades, reducing urban heat island)

9. Innovation (e.g., climate resilience, encourage innovative technology)

10. Construction and Building Management (ongoing performance monitoring)

Sustainable Design Assessment (SDA)

A Sustainable Design Assessment (SDA) is typically conducted at the planning permit application stage for medium-scale developments. It evaluates building designs against energy efficiency, waste management, and other metrics to determine if the proposal meets best practice objectives. Utilising BESS, CASBE, or NABERS scores, the SDA design assessment in the planning process ensures developments are prepared to tackle future environmental performance challenges.

Sustainable Management Plan (SMP)

For large-scale or complex projects, an SMP provides an in-depth roadmap. It details how the development will:
  • Incorporate renewable energy (e.g., solar PV)
  • Optimise energy consumption and stormwater solutions
  • Integrate sustainable transport options (e.g., walking and cycling, public transport)
  • Meet passive design principles (e.g., thermal mass, orientation)
An SMP also helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions by specifying car dependency mitigation strategies, such as proximity to public transport nodes and cycle paths. By including all plans and assessments in one place, developers can provide a copy of their commitments, facilitating smoother planning permit application process outcomes.

Achieving Best Practice Standards

To meet or exceed best practice standards under the SDAPP framework, developments must align with national construction code requirements and additional criteria. This includes adhering to NABERS or the Australian Built Environment Rating System for energy efficiency, demonstrating a thorough approach to water usage, and showcasing solutions for urban design concerns like urban heat island reduction.

Ultimately, adopting SDAPP principles leads to a sustainable design assessment that ensures the efficient use of resources, lowers energy consumption, and supports favourable lifecycle assessment. By doing so, architects and developers encourage innovative technology solutions and foster the creation of a sustainable built environment.

In Summary

  • SDAPP brings environmentally sustainable design to the forefront of planning permit approvals.
  • SDA (for medium projects) and SMP (for larger ones) both encourage the inclusion of key environmental performance measures.
  • Tools like BESS (the built environment sustainability scorecard) and NABERS help deliver efficient use of resources.
  • Emphasising renewable energy, public transport, waste management, and stormwater solutions helps reduce operating costs and support development outcomes that benefit both people and the planet.
Through SDAPP, planning teams collaborate with developers, ensuring assessment in the planning process leads to optimal outcomes at the planning permit stage. This sustainable design assessment process paves the way for high-quality urban planning results—ultimately contributing to the creation of a sustainable built environment.

Conclusion

At SUHO, we understand the importance of integrating sustainability into the early stages of planning. Our expert team is here to help navigate the SDAPP, ensuring your project meets necessary requirements while maximising environmental performance. Whether you're developing a residential or commercial project, we provide tailored solutions that align with best practices in ecologically sustainable development.
Get in touch today to discuss how we can support your project with a streamlined and effective SDAPP assessment.

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