SMP & SDA Reports

A Sustainability Management Plan, or SMP, and a Sustainable Design Assessment, or SDA, are planning-stage ESD reports that document how a proposed development responds to applicable environmentally sustainable design requirements.

These reports are commonly prepared to support local council planning applications, particularly in Victoria. Depending on the project and council requirements, they may document commitments relating to energy, water, indoor environmental quality, transport, waste, materials, urban ecology and stormwater. Supporting evidence may include a BESS assessment, a separate STORM assessment or project-specific WSUD documentation where required.

An SDA is generally a more concise sustainability response suited to smaller or less complex developments, while an SMP usually provides more detailed documentation for larger or more complex projects. The required report type depends on the responsible council, project scale, building type and applicable planning controls.

A Sustainability Management Plan or Sustainable Design Assessment provides a project-specific record of how environmentally sustainable design has been considered during the planning stage of a development. It translates relevant council requirements and sustainability expectations into documented design measures, commitments and supporting information.

An SMP or SDA is not usually a single performance certificate or a substitute for specialist technical assessments. Its role is to bring together the sustainability response proposed for the development and explain how that response is reflected in the available architectural, landscape and services documentation.

Depending on the project and responsible council, the report may document commitments relating to energy and water efficiency, indoor environmental quality, stormwater, transport, waste, materials and urban ecology. The emphasis remains on how these measures are incorporated into the proposed development, rather than replacing any separate modelling, calculation or design work needed to support them.

Where a structured sustainability assessment is required, a BESS assessment may provide supporting results and evidence. The SMP or SDA remains the written planning-stage report that explains the project response, records commitments and coordinates relevant information for the planning submission.

The difference between a Sustainability Management Plan and a Sustainable Design Assessment generally relates to the scale, complexity and planning requirements of the proposed development. Both reports document an environmentally sustainable design response, but they are commonly prepared at different levels of detail.

An SDA is often used for smaller or less complex developments, while an SMP commonly provides more detailed sustainability documentation for larger or more complex projects. The terminology, project thresholds and required report scope can vary between councils, so the applicable planning controls and local ESD policy should always be checked.

A Sustainability Management Plan or Sustainable Design Assessment may be required when a responsible council expects a proposed development to provide a documented environmentally sustainable design response as part of a planning permit application.

These reports are most commonly associated with Victorian planning pathways. However, an SMP or SDA is not automatically required for every planning application. The applicable reporting pathway depends on the local planning scheme, council policy, development type, project scale and characteristics of the site.

Where a council distinguishes between the two report types, an SDA is generally used for a smaller or less complex development, while an SMP commonly provides a more detailed response for a larger or more complex proposal. The definitions of small and large-scale development, and the thresholds used to determine the required report, can vary between councils.

The requirement should therefore be checked against the planning controls and application requirements applying to the specific property. Early confirmation can help the project team identify the correct report type, supporting assessments and drawing information before the planning submission is finalised.

Sustainability Management Plans and Sustainable Design Assessments are most commonly prepared within Victorian planning permit pathways. Their purpose is to respond to the sustainability requirements applying to the proposed development and provide the responsible council with a clear, project-specific ESD response.

The required report type, scope and supporting documentation can vary between councils. The applicable pathway may be influenced by the local planning scheme, council ESD policy, application requirements, development type and characteristics of the proposed design.

A council may expect the sustainability measures described in the SMP or SDA to be supported by assessment results, schedules, calculations or annotated planning drawings. Commitments within the report should therefore be coordinated with the architectural, landscape and services information submitted as part of the planning application.

An SMP or SDA should not be treated as a generic sustainability template. It should respond to the current requirements applying to the site and clearly identify the proposed measures, supporting evidence and responsibilities relevant to that particular development.

A Sustainability Management Plan or Sustainable Design Assessment may draw on results from separate assessment tools, calculations and design documentation. These inputs help substantiate particular sustainability commitments, but they retain their own technical purpose and assessment outcome.

For Victorian planning applications, a BESS assessment may provide a structured sustainability scorecard covering the project’s response across defined categories. The SMP or SDA uses relevant results and project information to explain the broader written ESD response submitted to council.

Stormwater commitments may require a separate stormwater treatment assessment, such as BlueFactor or another accepted modelling pathway. A broader WSUD response may also be needed where water-sensitive design measures must be coordinated with the site, landscape and drainage strategy.

The assessments required depend on the council, development type and commitments being made. The SMP or SDA should identify the relevant evidence, explain how it supports the planning response and remain consistent with the drawings and technical documentation submitted for the project.

A Sustainability Management Plan or Sustainable Design Assessment documents the sustainability response proposed for a development as part of the planning application. It records the measures being committed to, the information supporting those measures and how they are reflected in the project documentation.

The report may reference energy, water, indoor environmental quality, stormwater, transport, waste, materials and urban ecology where these topics are relevant to the project. Its primary role, however, is not to replace the specialist assessment of each topic. It brings the relevant commitments and evidence together within one coordinated planning-stage ESD response.

The level of detail depends on whether the project requires an SDA or a more comprehensive SMP, together with the responsible council’s requirements, the available design information and the separate supporting assessments needed to substantiate particular commitments.

Energy efficiency, water efficiency and thermal design are commonly addressed in a Sustainability Management Plan or Sustainable Design Assessment because they form part of many planning-stage ESD responses. The report records the measures proposed for the development and explains how they are reflected in the available project documentation.

An SMP or SDA may refer to orientation, shading, glazing, building fabric, efficient services, renewable energy, water-efficient fixtures, rainwater reuse and other relevant design measures. The report should describe these commitments accurately without implying that it independently calculates or certifies the resulting building performance.

Where council requirements or project commitments rely on quantified outcomes, separate calculations, ratings or modelling may be needed as supporting evidence. The SMP or SDA then coordinates the relevant results within the broader written planning response.

The level of detail should reflect the project type, responsible council, available design information and the specific commitments being made. Measures described in the report should also remain consistent with the architectural, landscape, drainage and services documentation submitted with the planning application.

Indoor environmental quality may form part of a Sustainability Management Plan or Sustainable Design Assessment where the planning response includes commitments relating to daylight, ventilation, air quality, thermal conditions, glare or acoustic considerations.

The role of the SMP or SDA is to document the measures proposed for the development and explain how they are reflected in the architectural design, building envelope, internal layout or services strategy. The report should distinguish between design commitments that can be identified at planning stage and outcomes that require later technical verification.

For example, the report may record window locations, external shading, openable areas, ventilation provisions, low-emission material commitments or design measures intended to reduce excessive solar exposure. These measures should remain consistent with the planning drawings and other project documentation.

Where quantified daylight, thermal comfort, natural ventilation or acoustic outcomes are required, separate modelling or specialist assessment may be needed as supporting evidence. The SMP or SDA coordinates the relevant commitment without replacing that technical assessment.

A Sustainability Management Plan or Sustainable Design Assessment may document commitments relating to transport, waste, material selection and urban ecology where these matters form part of the planning-stage ESD response.

The report should identify the measures proposed for the development and explain how they are represented in the planning drawings, landscape documentation, schedules or other project information. The level of detail depends on the council requirements, development type and commitments being made.

Examples may include bicycle facilities, electric vehicle infrastructure, waste storage areas, construction waste targets, material specifications, canopy planting, permeable surfaces or biodiversity measures. These should be described as project-specific commitments rather than broad sustainability aspirations.

Where a commitment requires detailed traffic advice, waste planning, quantified material assessment, landscape analysis or ecological investigation, separate specialist documentation may be required. The SMP or SDA records and coordinates the relevant outcome without replacing that specialist work.

The information needed for an SMP or SDA depends on the project scale, council requirements and the level of sustainability detail expected at planning stage. A smaller project may only need a concise sustainability response, while a larger development may require more detailed inputs across energy, water, stormwater, transport, waste, materials and management commitments.

In most cases, the report is prepared from architectural drawings, planning documentation, site information and proposed sustainability measures. Where assessment tools are required, additional inputs may be needed for BESS, STORM, MUSIC, NatHERS, Section J or other supporting pathways.

The clearer the design information is at the beginning, the easier it is to prepare an SMP or SDA that aligns with the planning application and avoids unnecessary revision later in the process.

The cost of a Sustainability Management Plan or Sustainable Design Assessment depends on the project type, responsible council, required report scope and amount of coordination needed to prepare the planning-stage sustainability response.

A concise SDA for a smaller or less complex development will generally involve a different level of work from a detailed SMP prepared for a larger residential, mixed-use or non-residential project. The scope may also increase where multiple sustainability commitments, specialist inputs or drawing annotations need to be coordinated.

Timing is influenced by the completeness of the architectural drawings, clarity of the council requirements and availability of the information needed to substantiate the proposed commitments. Unresolved design decisions, inconsistent documentation or changes made during preparation can require additional review and revision.

Where a BESS assessment, stormwater assessment, WSUD response or other technical evidence is required, that work should be identified separately from the written SMP or SDA and allowed for within the project program.

A Sustainability Management Plan or Sustainable Design Assessment provides the project team with a coordinated record of the sustainability commitments proposed as part of the planning application.

Preparing the report can help identify where a commitment needs to appear in the architectural drawings, landscape documentation, drainage information, services strategy or other supporting material. This reduces the risk of the written ESD response describing measures that are absent from, or inconsistent with, the submitted design.

The SMP or SDA does not replace the responsibilities of the architect, planner or specialist consultants. Its role is to bring the relevant project information together, document the agreed measures and clarify which evidence supports each part of the planning-stage sustainability response.

Where separate calculations, assessments or technical reports are required, these should be coordinated with the written report and planning drawings. The relationship between these inputs is explained further in the section on supporting assessments.

A Sustainability Management Plan or Sustainable Design Assessment records the sustainability measures proposed as part of the planning application. Once those commitments form part of the submission, they may need to remain visible as the project moves into later documentation and delivery.

SMPs and SDAs sit early in the planning and design process, but they often connect with other building performance, sustainability and compliance pathways. The relevant pathway depends on the project type, location, council requirements and the level of technical assessment needed.

These related knowledge areas can help clarify how planning-stage ESD reporting connects with later assessment, modelling, certification and operational performance expectations.