Sustainable design

Depending on the size of development proposed, either a Sustainable Design Assessment (SDA) or a Sustainability Management Plan (SMP) is required. (Refer to Table 1 above). A Stormwater Management Assessment (SMA) can be submitted in response to stormwater management (WSUD) requirements.

Sustainable Design Assessment (SDA)

An SDA is a simple sustainability assessment of a proposed building at the planning stage that demonstrates best practice in ESD performance. The content demonstrates how your proposed development addresses the 10 sustainable building categories.

The SDA is for developments of up to 9 dwellings and non-residential development between 50m2 to 1,000m2. 

Our Sustainable Design Assessment template (DOCX 132 KB) provides an indication of the information you need to submit.

Sustainability Management Plan (SMP)

An SMP is a detailed sustainability assessment of a proposed building at the planning stage that demonstrates best practice in ESD performance. The content demonstrates how your proposed development address the 10 sustainable building categories.

Preparation of a Sustainability Management Plan will generally require the engagement of a sustainability consultant.

The SMP is for development of 10 or more dwellings and non-residential development over 1,000m2.

Stormwater Management Assessment (SMA)

Stormwater Management requirements are applicable to all developments of 50m2 or greater.  Submission of a Water Sensitive Urban Design Response (WSUD Response) is required.  A WSUD Response addresses the requirements of the Stormwater Management Policy, Clause 19.03-3L of the Port Phillip Planning Scheme. This can either be a stand-alone report or it can be included within an SDA or SMP.

The SMA content will include a:

• description of proposed stormwater treatment devices
• stormwater quality report using the STORM or MUSIC tools
• stormwater site layout plan showing catchment area, treatment devices and any permeable surfaces
• maintenance program for the treatment devices
• stormwater construction site management plan.

Stormwater management during construction should address these key considerations:

• protection measures for stormwater drains surrounding the site
• direction of roof run-off to drains and bunded areas
• location of wash-down areas on site
• stockpile protection such as using tarps
• use of rumble strips at site vehicle access points to keep mud off roads
• litter containment measures on site.

Our Compliance Guidelines for Clause 22.12 Stormwater Management (PDF 1.5MB) explains how to put together the WSUD Response, which is also referred to as a Stormwater Management Plan (SMA). It contains useful examples such as site management plans and design detail drawings.

ESD Implementation Report

The ESD Implementation Report is submitted to Council as the development is nearing completion, prior to occupancy. The report demonstrates how the ESD features have been implemented on site, providing evidence that the commitments in the endorsed Sustainable Design Assessment (SDA) or endorsed Sustainability Management Plan (SMP) have been met. The evidence provided will include supporting documentation such as product receipts, as-built plans and photographs of items as built on-site.  

Our template ESD Implementation Report (DOCX 157 KB) can be used for this purpose. It is based on the Built Environment Sustainability Scorecard (BESS) but can be adapted to suit the method of assessment in your SDA/SMP. For assistance with this template, please contact our Sustainable Design Advisors.

A report from an ESD assessment tool should be appended to your main ESD report. These tools provide an assessment of your proposal against an established rating system.

Some ESD assessment tools assess a broad range of ESD categories, while others focus only on a single component of ESD, such as stormwater quality or energy efficiency.

A more detailed overview is provided in our ESD Tools Factsheet (PDF 486 KB).

Built Environment Sustainability Scorecard (BESS)

The Built Environment Sustainability Scorecard (BESS) is an online ESD assessment tool purpose-built for the planning application stage. It assesses nine ESD categories and is suitable for almost all development types including:

• single dwellings
• dwelling extensions
• multi-dwellings
• non-residential
• mixed use.

A BESS score of 50 per cent indicates a 'Pass', while a score of 70 per cent or greater indicates 'Excellence'.

There are four mandatory categories which must be passed:

• energy
• water
• stormwater
• indoor environmental quality.

Additional score points can be gained from other categories including:

• waste
• transport
• urban ecology
• management

Green Factor

Green Factor is a green infrastructure assessment tool that is free to use and available for most development types and scales.

A Green Factor assessment considers the different types of green infrastructure within a development proposal, such as trees in ground, on-structure planters and vegetation, green facades and green roofs.

The tool takes account of the environmental benefits, such as urban cooling and habitat creation, and broader social benefits. The resulting score indicates a site’s proposed green factor. During our current trial of the Green Factor tool, while there is no mandatory requirement, the following scores are recommended as demonstrating a reasonable outcome for urban greening:

On the Green Factor Tool website, click ‘Start Assessing New Site’ button and it will take you to the ‘Locate your site page’ where you can select the City of Port Phillip from ‘Select a Local Government Area’ drop down list.

From there you can click the ‘Start Assessment’ tab and begin your Green Factor Tool assessment.

BESS Innovation Credit

Council will consider 1 Innovation credit for developments which integrate the Green Factor tool assessment with their planning submission. Under the Innovation category provide the following information:

Green Star

Green Star is the Green Building Council of Australia’s certification system. Their Buildings ratings tool assesses a broad range of ESD categories and is suitable for assessing large-scale developments. Reliance on operational commitments to gain a Green Star benchmarked rating will not be accepted at planning stage.

STORM

STORM assesses stormwater quality outcomes for small to medium-scale developments, as part of a WSUD Response. It's available online for free and managed by Melbourne Water. A minimum score of 100 per cent is required to demonstrate best practice stormwater management.

MUSIC

MUSIC is a detailed stormwater modelling software that is available for purchase from eWater. It's suitable for assessing stormwater treatment for medium to large-scale developments.

FirstRate5

FirstRate5 assesses residential energy efficiency for the building envelope only.

The software is most commonly used in Victoria to demonstrate compliance with the National Construction Code of Australia (NCC) energy efficiency requirements for residential buildings. It uses the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) protocol, however, a 6-Star FirstRate energy rating does not reflect best practice energy efficiency for ESD.

A building’s orientation, glazing proportions and construction materials largely impact the rating. Many designers now use energy rating tools as design tools rather than as compliance tools.

We strongly recommended conducting a preliminary assessment before lodging your drawings for a planning permit. This can reduce the likelihood of having to apply to amend your planning permit if a later energy rating shows that you have to change the building design to meet minimum NCC standards.

An energy rating will have to be completed for most new dwellings and some extensions at the building permit stage at the latest.

Before submitting your application:

• consider sustainable design early and discuss it at your pre-application meeting
• access ESD advice for free by contacting our Sustainable Design team
• prepare your plans and ESD documents
• make clear commitments in your documentation and avoid vague language such as 'where practical' and 'as appropriate'
• ensure the design details on your plans are consistent with the ESD commitments in your documentation.

When submitting:

• Council’s Planning team will make a preliminary assessment
• Council’s Sustainable Design officer reviews your application
• the Sustainable Design officer will either confirm the submission is acceptable, or require sustainable design improvements.

Once a planning assessment outcome has been reached, ensure:

• The agreed ESD initiatives are reflected in the details on your endorsed plans and in your endorsed documentation such as the Sustainability Management Plan.
• An ESD Implementation Report (DOCX 157 KB) demonstrating how your ESD initiatives have been implemented is submitted to us upon completion of your development.

Our expectations for sustainable developments can be found in two stages:

• Planning stage: during design or planning you must demonstrate how your development's design addresses the 10 sustainable building categories.
• Building stage: when construction is near completion you must provide an ESD Implementation Report to demonstrate how the ESD features of the design have been successfully incorporated into the built outcome.

Planning stage

To demonstrate best practice in environmentally sustainable design, your development should incorporate the initiatives listed under each of the 10 sustainable building categories.

Note, a 'pass' score in BESS is a required element of an SDA and SMP, but the development must also achieve all the objectives under Clause 15.01-2L-02 of the Port Phillip Planning Scheme.

Building stage

Your planning permit will include a condition that requires you to submit an ESD Implementation Report demonstrating how the ESD features of the design were successfully incorporated into the built outcome.

An acceptable ESD Implementation Report will be endorsed as part of your planning approval prior to building occupancy. The ESD Implementation Report will be written by the same author of the endorsed ESD documentation or a similarly qualified person who has been involved in the building stage of the project, such as an ESD consultant, architect or project manager.

The report will contain:

• a summary of the ESD initiatives that were approved during application
• details of where these initiatives have been installed in the building
• evidence of installation or implementation.

The report will contain a variety of evidence relative to the development type. This could include:

• energy ratings for apartments
• receipts for materials and fittings
• product specifications such as WELS ratings for taps
• photos of implemented initiatives, such as renewable energy systems, external shading to windows and installed rainwater tanks.

• Appropriate external shading to all windows receiving direct sunlight
• Adequate daylight to all habitable rooms including commercial spaces
• Effective natural ventilation including operable windows in all habitable rooms
• Low toxicity products used such as low VOC paints and adhesives

Factsheet: Indoor Environment Quality (PDF 218 KB)

Factsheet: Daylight (PDF 918 KB)

Factsheet: Natural Ventilation (PDF 778 KB)

• At least 70 per cent of construction and demolition waste to be reused or recycled
• Stormwater management included during construction implementation plan
• For medium and large scale developments, as above plus:
  • Building User's Guide (PDF 249 KB) to be provided
  • ESD professional engaged on the project team from preliminary design to development completion
  • conduct preliminary energy ratings (NatHERS, JV3)
  • regular fine-tuning of all building systems and on-going maintenance.

Factsheet: Construction and Building Management (PDF 149 KB)

Example Building User's Guide (PDF 2.7MB)

• Appropriate external shading to all windows receiving direct sunlight
• Commit to exceed NCC minimum energy rating by 10 per cent.  As of October 2023 a 7 star NatHERS rating is mandatory for dwellings
• Heating and cooling systems with a high star rating
• Solar hot water
• Ceiling fans to habitable rooms
• External natural clothes drying facilities (clothesline)
• On-site renewable energy such as solar PV
• Install LED lighting and reduce artificial lighting via appropriate window placement and sizing

Factsheet: Energy Efficiency (PDF 306 KB)

Factsheet: Sun shading (PDF 640 KB)

Factsheet: Building Envelope Performance (PDF 924 KB)

Factsheet: Zero Carbon Development (PDF 1.2 MB)

• Appropriate WELS star ratings for water fixtures and appliances:
  • showers - 3 star or above
  • toilets - 4 stars or above
  • taps - 5 stars or above.
  • washing machines and dishwashers with a high rating.
• Rainwater capture and reuse for toilet flushing, irrigation and laundry
• Drought tolerant plant selection and drip irrigation landscaping
• For medium and large scale developments, as above plus water reuse for fire system testing

Factsheet: Water Efficiency (PDF 239 KB)

• STORM score of 100 per cent or MUSIC modelling demonstrating best practice stormwater management
• Plans to include a stormwater treatment device, such as a tank or raingarden, including capacity (litres) or surface area (m²) and reuse notation, such as toilet flushing and irrigation
• On-going maintenance procedures for stormwater treatment devices
• Initiatives provided to address stormwater management during construction

Factsheet: Stormwater Management (PDF 579 KB)

Factsheet: Site Permeability (PDF 1.6 MB)

Green roofs and walls, as detailed under Urban ecology, can contribute to on-site stormwater management.

Maintenance of stormwater treatment devices can be addressed in your WSUD Response by using the appropriate maintenance manual template, as detailed under Water Sensitive Urban Design section of this webpage.

Stormwater management during construction can be addressed in your WSUD Response by including:

• A table detailing which stormwater management features will be implemented during construction.

• A simple site layout plan showing where the features will be located, such as in figure 6 (page 28) of the Compliance Guidelines for Clause 22.12 Stormwater Management.

For more information and clear examples, see Melbourne Water - Keeping our Stormwater Clean.

• Accessible bicycle parking; over bonnet not accepted
• For residential:
  • bicycle parking of one per dwelling
  • bicycle parking of one visitor space per 4 dwellings.
• For non-residential:
  • bicycle parking increase of 50 per cent above Clause 52.34 requirements
  • end of trip facilities with one shower per 10 bicycle spaces and one locker per bicycle space.
• For medium and large scale developments, as above plus:
  • Green Travel Plan for all non-residential developments with a Gross Floor Area (GFA) over 1,000m²
  • electric vehicle charging infrastructure provided
  • motorcycle parking space included in multi-unit residential, commercial or mixed-use developments.

Factsheet: Transport (PDF 436 KB)

Factsheet: Electric Vehicles (PDF 650 KB)

• Ensure recycling facilities are as convenient as general waste to occupants
• Provide on-site management of food and garden waste
• For medium and large scale developments, as above plus major developments to provide space for a charity donation bin

Factsheet: Waste Management (PDF 295 KB)

• Protect existing vegetation and increase where possible
• Incorporate indigenous vegetation and food production into landscape design
• Provide a tap and drain on each balcony and in each courtyard

Factsheet: Urban Ecology (PDF 550 KB)

Factsheet: Green Roofs, Walls and Facades (PDF 2.3 MB)

Green Walls and Roofs Growing Guide (PDF 17.2 MB)

• Retain as much of the existing structure as possible
• Specify the use of recycled materials
• Sustainable materials choice, certified by a third party such as GECA
• Locally sourced building products to minimise emissions from transportation

For medium and large scale developments, as above plus:

• specify recycled cement content in concrete
• timber sourced from certified Environmental Stewardship Programme, such as FSC
• metal produced from post-consumer waste

Factsheet: Building Materials (PDF 277 KB)

If you are claiming innovation points, your submission should demonstrate one of the following:

• passive design that eliminates the need for mechanical heating and cooling
• exceed the best practice standards in one or more of the other sustainable building categories
• incorporate technology or design strategies with environmental benefits that are new to Victoria.

Factsheet: Innovation (PDF 220 KB)

Factsheet: Melbourne Climate (PDF 529 KB)

Innovation for Large-Scale Developments (PDF 1.3 MB)

Our stormwater drains to Port Phillip Bay. As the intensity of urbanisation in our suburbs increases, so does the level of pollutants and debris in the water that reaches the bay.

WSUD minimises the impact of development on our waterways and water resources. Our Stormwater Management Policy at Clause 19.03-3L of the Planning Scheme requires planning applications to demonstrate how the proposed development incorporates best practice WSUD by submitting a Stormwater Management Assessment (SMA).

A rainwater tank that collects stormwater run-off from the roof and connects to toilets for flushing is a common WSUD measure for small-scale developments.

Other typical stormwater management features include raingardens (PDF 1.4 MB), porous paving (PDF 1.6 MB) and a mixture of different features on a single site.

Green walls and roofs, under the Urban Ecology sustainable building category, can also contribute to stormwater management.

Addressing the on-going maintenance of a stormwater treatment system is an application requirement.

Council has produced maintenance manuals for the three most common types of domestic stormwater management, which are free for applicants to use and submit for endorsement:

• Rainwater Tank Maintenance Manual (PDF 500 KB)
• Raingarden Maintenance Manual (PDF 1.4 MB)
• Porous Paving Maintenance Manuall (PDF 1.7 MB)

Managing stormwater run-off during construction is another important requirement of an SMA under Clause 19.03-3L. To address these matters in your WSUD response:

• include a table detailing which measures will be implemented
• provide a simple site layout plan indicating where the measures will be located such as in Compliance Guidelines - page 28, Appendix C4, Figure 6, (PDF 1.2 MB) of the Planning Scheme. 

For more information, see Keeping Our Stormwater Clean: A Builder’s Guide.  This template Stormwater Site Management Plan can be used for your submission.

Specific Sustainable Design requirements for the Fishermans Bend Urban Renewal Area (FBURA) are written into the schedule to the Capital City Zone (CCZ1) and in the Fishermans Bend Urban Renewal Area local planning policy (Clause 19.03-3L) of the Port Phillip Planning Scheme.

The requirements include:

• conditional requirements for all developments to achieve a certified Green Star rating.
• conditional rainwater tank and third pipe requirements.
• energy efficiency to exceed NCC by 20 per cent.
• renewable energy generation included on each site.
• a 70 per cent total site area comprising elements to reduce the urban heat island effect.
• building design for flood and sea level rise resilience.
• food and green waste collection opportunities included in each proposal.
• landscape design to incorporate flood mitigation and WSUD.
• provision of deep soil planting areas and green facades/rooftop planting.

These requirements apply in addition to the ESD and WSUD requirements applicable to the entire municipality (refer to Port Phillip Planning Scheme Clauses 19.03-3L and 15.01-2L-02 respectively).

Developments in FBURA are required to register with the Green Building Council of Australia prior to commencement of development. A certified Green Star rating using the Buildings rating tool is required to be achieved within 12 months of building occupation.

Achieving a Green Star certified rating is a conditional requirement, dependent on building scale:

10 or more dwellings or 5,000m² or greater floor space = 5 star Green Star Buildings rating

All other buildings and works greater than 50m² = 4 star Gree Star Buildings rating 

At the planning application stage, an SMP should demonstrate how the relevant Green Star rating will be achieved, with a 10 per cent points buffer included, to provide contingency for unforeseen changes.

Refer to Innovative Sustainable Design for Large-Scale Developments (PDF 563 KB) for innovation considerations in FBURA.

Development Requirements

As Australia’s largest urban renewal project, Fishermans Bend presents a significant opportunity to achieve integrated water management outcomes in both the public and private realm.

All developments need to deliver:

• Provision of recycled water supply via third pipe for all non-potable water uses
• Rainwater capture from 100 per cent suitable roof areas including podiums
• Fit for purpose stormwater treatment for end uses
• Integration of green infrastructure

Collectively, the integrated water management components of a development reduce potable water demand, reduce peak stormwater flow for flood mitigation, improve stormwater quality and reduce urban heat island effect.

Case Studies

Case studies have been developed to assist planning applicants in responding to these requirements based on hypothetical development scenarios for common development typologies.

They provide a preferred and typical pathway to achieve the required integrated water management outcomes and policy compliance in the Fishermans Bend Urban Renewal Area.

View the case studies for:

1. Mixed use tower development with podium (PDF 1.6 MB)
2. Multi-tower, mixed use development with podium (PDF 2.2 MB)
3. Commercial development in the employment precinct (PDF 1.5 MB)
4. Large townhouse development (PDF 1.7 MB)

Submitting your response

Applicants should use MUSIC modelling to demonstrate the proposal incorporates best practice water sensitive urban design.

A STORM report will not be accepted for applications in the Fishermans Bend Urban Renewal Area.

Contact our Sustainable Design Officer for advice on responding to Fishermans Bend specific requirements at sustainabledesign@portphillip.vic.gov.au or call 03 9209 6303.