Sustainable Design Assessment

You’re ready to get your renovation or development underway. So you’ve contacted your local council for permits – and they’ve asked for a Sustainable Design Assessment (SDA).

So what is an SDA? And how do you get one?

At Change of Plan, we’ve made getting an SDA easy by allowing you to add it to your town planning permit submission. You’ll get all the permits you need in one simple, smooth process – and your council will, too.

What is an SDA?

An SDA is an appraisal that measures how your proposed build or renovation meets best practices in environmentally sustainable development.

Once an uncommon request, it’s now estimated that 80% of councils require an SDA. And that number is growing fast.

What does an SDA measure?

There are nine categories an assessor will focus on when evaluating your renovation or development proposal

  1. Management
  2. Energy efficiency
  3. Water efficiency
  4. Waste management
  5. Transport
  6. Innovation
  7. Indoor environment quality
  8. Stormwater
  9. Urban ecology

Your SDA is measured using the Built Environment Sustainability Scorecard (BESS) tool. It gives you an overall rating, which you then share with your council.

How it works

Change of Plan is a fully accredited SDA provider. We can help you submit your SDA to council with confidence.

Simply advise our team that you’d like to add an SDA to your other town planning application.

We’ll liaise with all parties on your behalf – making the process streamlined and stress-free.

1 Assessment

We’ll carry out your SDA using the industry-approved BESS tool – created by councils for councils

2 Results

We’ll deliver your results, along with any other information you
need for your town planning application.

3 Follow-up

We’ll manage the application process with Council to ensure a fast and accurate response to any requests.