LID Consulting prepares Environmentally Sustainable Design (ESD) reports for residential, mixed-use and non-residential developments across Australia.
Our ESD consultants work with architects, planners, project managers and developers to deliver clear, practical sustainability advice and documentation that improves design outcomes, and helps projects move efficiently through council and authority review / approval processes, or meet organisational goals.
With more than 16 years of experience, our multidisciplinary team of engineers, architects, planners and project managers provides commercially realistic sustainability advice tailored to each project and site context.
Our team provides strategic sustainability advice and reporting, including:
- Sustainable Buildings State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP) – residential BASIX and non-residential assessments
- Sustainable Management Plans (SMPs) – for larger non-residential and residential developments.
- Townhouse and Low-Rise Code – Clause 55.05 Sustainability (Two or more dwellings on a lot) – residential dwellings of 1-3 stories
- Mid-Rise Code – Residential Buildings of 4 to 6 storeys – Clause 57.05 Sustainability (Two or more dwellings on a lot)
- Great Design Fast Track pathway – for larger developments 2-8 storeys
- Green Star projects
- Bespoke organisational sustainability frameworks
We help project teams address sustainability early, providing architects with practical advice to enhance the design intent, planners with documentation aligned with council and state planning requirements, project managers with a co-ordinated input and reliable turnaround times, and developers with commercially practical sustainability outcomes that support smoother approvals and more efficient project delivery.
LID Consulting supports developments across varying Australian planning frameworks, whether addressing strategic plans ranging from zero or low carbon strategies, climate adaptation and resilience strategies, waste reduction strategies, Council Plans, or planning scheme, State Environmental Planning Policies (SEPPs), Local Environmental Policies (LEP), or Development control Policy (DCP) requirements.
Contact us if you would like to discuss the process or require a quote. We will generally turn around quotes within 4-48 hours, and reports within 1-3 weeks or to meet your timelines.
Lumina Town Centre Wollert Vic. SMP incl BESS
Rockingham Hotel, WA. State and Local policies – Green Star framework
Royal Far West Manly NSW
Sustainable Building State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP) 2022
LID Consulting also provide ESD / Sustainability consulting to address NSW Sustainable Buildings SEPP requirements for residential (BASIX) or non-residential development.
Our team will consult and prepare a residential BASIX report or project specific ESD report to SB SEPP Chapter 3 requirements, to flesh out any proposed ESD inclusions and suggest further options where required. We can also quantify the embodied emissions for the proposed development as required by Chapter 3.
Two or more dwellings on a lot – fast track approvals
Our ESD consultancy team have experience responding to the fast track ESD requirements of recent planning scheme changes.
- Townhouse and Low-Rise Code – Clause 55.05 Sustainability (Two or more dwellings on a lot) – residential dwellings of 1-3 stories
- Mid-Rise Code – Residential Buildings of 4 to 6 storeys – Clause 57.05 Sustainability (Two or more dwellings on a lot)
In both cases we can assist with:
- Demonstrating that the development includes a stormwater management system designed to meet the best practice quantitative performance objectives for stormwater quality via using Blue Factor (replaces STORM) or MUSIC modelling tools.
- Undertaking early design stage preliminary NatHERS assessments to confirm dwellings in an apartment development do not exceed the maximum NatHERS annual cooling load.
Sustainable Management Plans (SMPs)
Sustainable Management Plans (SMPs) are required for larger non-residential and residential developments and provide a comprehensive sustainability framework for planning approval. Sustainable Design Assessments (SDAs) are similar but simpler reports required for non-residential developments under 1000m2.
Our SMPs (and SDAs) address key sustainability categories including:
- Energy Source, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
- Internal Environment Quality
- Water efficiency and stormwater management
- Sustainable Transport
- Waste Management
- Sustainable Materials selection
- Urban Ecology
- Management and Operational initiatives.
We prepare SMPs that are clear, technically robust and aligned with council expectations while remaining practical for project teams to implement.
CONTACT USThe Built Environment Sustainability Scorecard (BESS)
The Built Environment Sustainability Scorecard (BESS) is widely used within Victoria to assess sustainability performance during the planning permit stage.
LID Consulting has extensive experience preparing BESS assessments and advising project teams on practical ways to improve performance across key categories including:
- Management
- Integrated Water Management
- Operational Energy
- Stormwater
- Indoor Environment Equality (IEQ) (daylight and ventilation)
- Transport
- Waste & Resource Recovery
- Urban ecology
- Innovation
Our team also has strong expertise in Blue Factor (replaces STORM) and MUSIC modelling, and NatHERS residential and Section J modelling and assessments to support compliance within BESS submissions.
By integrating sustainability advice early, we help project teams improve compliance outcomes while identifying practical and commercially viable sustainability initiatives.
