Environmental reports
Statement of environmental effects
A Statement of Environmental Effects is a report which explains the likely environmental impacts of a development proposal and how it is planned to minimise these impacts. A Statement of Environmental Effects is required by all councils when submitting a development application (DA).
The statement includes written information about the DA proposal that cannot be readily shown on plans and drawings. Typically a statement would include the the following:
a) the environmental impacts of the development
b) how the environmental impacts of the development have been identified.
c) the steps to be taken to protect the environment or to lessen the expected harm to the environment.
Hazardous Materials Survey Report
A Hazardous Materials Survey report is a survey of buildings or other above ground structures for materials likely to be hazardous to health, either of construction workers or occupants, or to the environment. Typical materials surveyed include asbestos, lead, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB's) and chlorofluorocarbons (CFC's), but may include other materials if these are likely to be an issue.
Environmental Impact Assessment
An Environmental Impact Assessment is only required for very large developments. It is a formal process to identify the environmental effects of a proposed development and the ways of dealing with the effects. It can include social and cultural impacts as well as physical environmental impacts (animals, plants, water, soil, air, noise, etc). The information in the report is used by the decision maker on the development (usually the relevant local government) to decide whether to approve the proposal and if so, on what conditions.
