What is a Statement of Environmental Effects?
A Statement of Environmental Effects is a document detailing a proposed development and its potential impacts. All Development Applications must be accompanied by a Statement of Environmental Effects.
We recommend seeking the advice of a town planner to assess the complexity of your development. In many cases of low impact, routine development, it is possible to write your own Statement of Environmental Effects. If you’re thinking of writing your own SEE, the following information will help you get started. There are three main elements to a SEE:
Site Description
This section should include the following information:
- Property address
- Lot and DP number (call your local council or check their online planning maps)
- Description of existing development
- Description of surrounding development
- Maps
Proposed Development
This section should include the following information:
- A list of all the proposed developments
- Details of each development, such as size, building materials and location on the property
- Plans and drawings (these can be attached separately as an appendix)
Planning Considerations
This section should address how your development complies with the relevant legislation, including (but not limited to):
- Environmental Planning and Assessment Act
- Environmental Planning And Assessment Regulation
- State Environmental Planning Policies
- Local Environmental Plans (available on your local council’s website)
- Development Control Plans (available on your local council’s website)
- Discussion of any specialist reports included in your DA, such as Statements of Heritage Impact (SOHI) or geotechnical reports