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ESD Reports- SDA/ SMP 

SDA -Sustainable Development Plan

SMP -Sustainable Management Plan

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When to obtain ESD Report?

An ESD report (SDA/SMP) can be required by some local councils s in Victoria at the planning permit stage to review the sustainable design features a new residential or non-residential development has included. Over two thirds of Melbourne councils now require ESD reports for developments above individual dwelling size.

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What's included in ESD Report?

An ESD reports recommend and discuss the Ecological or Environmentally Sustainable Design (ESD) elements that are to be included in a particular development.

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Which ESD Report, SDA or SMP?

The Sustainable Management Plan (SMP) is generally required for developments of 10 or more residential dwellings or non residential spaces of more than 1000m2. However, some councils invoke their own thresholds.

 

A Sustainable Development Assessment (SDA) is instead used for small to medium sized developments comprising of 3-9 residential dwellings or 500m2to 1000m2of non-residential Gross Floor Area (GFA), or alterations 500m2to 1000m2.

 

Both types of reports include the BESS (Built Environment Sustainability Scorecard) tool amongst other tools and considerations.

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What is included in SMP?

A Sustainability Management Plan addresses different categories of sustainability such as: Energy Efficiency, Internal Environment Quality, Water Sensitive Urban Design, Potable Water Demand Reduction, Transport, Waste, Materials selection, Urban Ecology, Management, and Community and Maintenance initiatives.

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The  BESS tool replaces the previous STEPS (Sustainable Tools for Environmental Performance Strategy) and SDS (Sustainable Design Scorecard) tools.

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What is included in SDA?

The level of information required for a SDA varies for project to project depending on the scale of the project. The assessment will review how your development will respond to the following sustainable categories:

• Management

• Water

• Stormwater

• Indoor Environment Quality

• Transport

• Waste

• Urban Ecology

• Innovation

 

Thermal modelling using an accredited NatHERS software, BESS and STORM are all incorporated into a SDA, and utilises the information and standards set out from those assessments.

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