Environmental matters

Introduction

Environmental assessment policies provide most of the information that gives us a better understanding of important environmental matters related to development assessment and how they should be addressed. These policies and guidelines fall into five key topics:

• People – amenity, health and safety, heritage, social and economic factors.
• Built environment – infrastructure, industrial, commercial, residential.
• Land – flora, fauna, landforms, terrestrial environmental quality.
• Water – hydrological processes, water quality.
• Air – air quality and atmospheric gases, odour.

Statutory policies and plans

A number of state environmental planning policies (SEPPs) provide the planning rules for specific environmental matters, and contain particular development controls to protect or manage certain environmental values. All SEPPs are available from the Legislation NSW website.

Some important SEPPs relating to development assessment are:

Land

• SEPP Coastal Management 2018
• SEPP No. 19 – Bushland in Urban Areas
• SEPP No. 44 – Koala Habitat Protection
• SEPP No. 55 – Remediation of Land

Water

• SEPP Sydney Drinking Water Catchment 2011

People

• SEPP No. 33 – Hazardous and Offensive Development
• SEPP No. 64 – Advertising and Signage
• SEPP No. 70 – Affordable Housing (Revised Schemes)
• SEPP Housing for Seniors or People With a Disability 2004

Built environment

• SEPP Building Sustainability Index: BASIX 2004
• SEPP No. 65 – Design Quality of Residential Apartment Development