Environmentally Sustainable Development (ESD)

Policy objectives:

• To achieve a healthy indoor environment quality for the wellbeing of building occupants, including the provision of fresh air intake, cross ventilation, and natural daylight.
• To achieve thermal comfort levels with minimised need for mechanical heating, ventilation and cooling.
• To reduce indoor air pollutants by encouraging use of materials with low toxicity chemicals.
• To reduce reliance on mechanical heating, ventilation, cooling and lighting systems.
• To minimise noise levels and noise transfer within and between buildings and associated external areas.

Whittlesea Council expectations:

• Adequate daylight to all living areas, bedrooms and all other regularly occupied spaces (as defined in BESS)
• All living rooms to have north facing windows
• Openable windows in all habitable rooms
• Appropriate shading to all windows receiving direct sunlight.

Fact sheet:

Indoor Environment Quality

Daylight

Natural Ventilation

Policy objectives:

• To improve the efficient use of energy, by ensuring development demonstrates design potential for ESD initiatives at the planning stage.
• To reduce total operating greenhouse gas emissions.
• To reduce energy peak demand through particular design measures (e.g., appropriate building orientation, shading to glazed surfaces, optimise glazing to exposed surfaces, space allocation for solar panels and external heating and cooling systems).

Whittlesea Council expectations:

• Developments to perform 10% better than NCC Section J minimum requirement.
• Residential development to achieve 6.5 star NatHERS average and Cooling loads should not exceed 22MJ/sqm for any dwelling
• Energy efficient hot water, heating and cooling systems within one energy star rating of the best available.
• Daylight/occupancy sensors for external lighting
• External clothes drying facility where feasible

Fact sheets

Energy Efficiency

External Shading

Building Envelope Performance

Zero Carbon Development

Policy objectives:

• To improve water efficiency.
• To reduce total operating potable water use.
• To encourage the collection and reuse of rainwater.
• To encourage the appropriate use of alternative water sources (e.g. greywater).

Whittlesea Council expectations:

• Rainwater capture and reuse for toilet flushing and irrigation at a minimum
• WELS rated fittings within one star of the best available.

Fact sheet:

Water efficiency

Policy Objectives:

• To reduce the impact of stormwater run-off.
• To improve the water quality of stormwater run-off.
• To achieve best practice stormwater quality outcomes.
• To incorporate the use of water sensitive urban design, including stormwater reuse.

Whittlesea Council Expectations:

• 100% STORM score or MUSIC modelling demonstrating best practice stormwater management

Fact sheets:

Stormwater Management

Site Permeability

Policy Objectives:

• To ensure that the built environment is designed to promote the use of walking, cycling and public transport, in that order.
• To minimise car dependency.
• To promote the use of low emissions vehicle technologies and supporting infrastructure.

Whittlesea Council Expectations:

• Residential Bicycle parking - 1 per dwelling for residents and 1 per 5 dwellings for visitors
• Non-Residential Bicycle Parking - 50% more than as required by Planning Clause 52.34 Bicycle Facilities and End of Trip facilities (1 shower per 10 bicycle spaces and 1 locker per bicycle space provided)
• Infrastructure to support electric vehicles charging

 Fact sheet:

Transport

Electric Vehicles

Policy Objectives:

• To ensure waste avoidance, reuse and recycling during the design, construction and operation stages of development.
• To ensure durability and long-term reusability of building materials.
• To ensure sufficient space is allocated for future change in waste management needs, including (where possible) composting and green waste facilities.

Whittlesea Council Expectations:

• Recycling facilities are as convenient as general waste facilities to all future occupants.
• 80% of all construction and demolition waste by mass is recycled.

Fact sheet:

Waste Management

Policy Objectives:

• To protect and enhance biodiversity within the municipality.
• To provide environmentally sustainable landscapes and natural habitats and minimise the urban heat island effect.
• To encourage the retention of significant trees.
• To encourage the planting of indigenous vegetation.
• To encourage the provision of space for productive gardens, particularly in larger residential developments.

Whittlesea Council Expectations:

• Protect existing on-site vegetation.
• Incorporate indigenous and /or productive gardens.
• Provide a tap for irrigation (connected to rainwater tank) and drainage on balconies, courtyards and backyards.

Fact sheets:

Urban Ecology

Green Roof Wall Facade

While the following categories are not specifically covered in Clause 15.01.2L, the information does often overlap with other categories. City of Whittlesea encourages development applicants to also address these categories in any proposed development.

• Building materials
• Construction building management
• Innovation
• Melbourne Climate

Whittlesea Council Expectations:

• Substitute cement content of concrete with recycled content.
• Select low embodied energy materials. Limit or do not use aluminium, zinc and other high embodied energy materials.
• Source all timber from sustainably managed sources that hold third party verification.
• Select recycled or re-usable materials.
• Avoid materials which are toxic in manufacture and use.
• Select low maintenance and highly durable materials.
• Preparation and availability of Building Users Guide (BUG)
• Individual utility meters for all dwellings and non-residential areas/ tenancies.

Fact sheets:

Building materials

Construction & building management

Innovation

Melbourne Climate

Policy objectives:

• To improve the efficient use of energy, by ensuring development demonstrates design potential for ESD initiatives at the planning stage.
• To reduce total operating greenhouse gas emissions.
• To reduce energy peak demand through particular design measures (e.g., appropriate building orientation, shading to glazed surfaces, optimise glazing to exposed surfaces, space allocation for solar panels and external heating and cooling systems).

Whittlesea Council expectations:

• Developments to perform 10% better than NCC Section J minimum requirement.
• Residential development to achieve 6.5 star NatHERS average and Cooling loads should not exceed 22MJ/sqm for any dwelling
• Energy efficient hot water, heating and cooling systems within one energy star rating of the best available.
• Daylight/occupancy sensors for external lighting
• External clothes drying facility where feasible

Fact sheets

Energy Efficiency

Sun shading

Policy objectives:

• To achieve a healthy indoor environment quality for the wellbeing of building occupants, including the provision of fresh air intake, cross ventilation, and natural daylight.
• To achieve thermal comfort levels with minimised need for mechanical heating, ventilation and cooling.
• To reduce indoor air pollutants by encouraging use of materials with low toxicity chemicals.
• To reduce reliance on mechanical heating, ventilation, cooling and lighting systems.
• To minimise noise levels and noise transfer within and between buildings and associated external areas.

Whittlesea Council expectations:

• Adequate daylight to all living areas, bedrooms and all other regularly occupied spaces (as defined in BESS)
• All living rooms to have north facing windows
• Openable windows in all habitable rooms
• Appropriate shading to all windows receiving direct sunlight.

Fact sheet:

Indoor Environment Quality

Find some tips and information on solar and energy saving.