Specialist Reports We Coordinate (Partnership Network)
Most applications of any size need reports from specialists outside town planning. The difficulty is rarely obtaining them individually - it is scoping only the ones actually required, running them in the right order, and resolving the contradictions between their findings before council does. We coordinate the whole stack under one scope, so you deal with one contract and one programme.
Free consultation
- Depends on the report - 1 week to 6 weeks; we programme them in parallel where possible
- Quoted per report; coordination included in our planning scope
- Quoted fixed after a free scope check
The reports below, each with its own page
BCA and fire safety, bushfire, heritage, traffic, waste management, stormwater, structural, access, geotechnical, contamination, acoustic, arborist, construction management, biodiversity, Aboriginal cultural heritage, flood, and plan of management - each has its own page (below) because each attracts its own search demand and its own set of questions.
Administrative items we also arrange, without a dedicated page
A handful of supporting documents are administrative rather than technical reports - a title search, an 88B easement, a Section 10.7(2)&(5) planning certificate, a survey plan, a cost estimate and quantity survey report, a sewer and stormwater peg-out, and, for complying development, an owner-builder permit or Sydney Water tap-in (Building Planning Application). We arrange all of these as part of a DA or CDC package; they are scoped on request rather than given their own page, since there is little to explain beyond "we obtain this for you."
Where coordination earns its fee
Sequencing matters
Some reports depend on others. A geotechnical report informs the structural design. A contamination preliminary site investigation may trigger a detailed investigation that changes the earthworks. An arborist report can change the building footprint, which changes the stormwater design.
Commissioning them all simultaneously looks efficient and frequently is not. We programme them in the order that avoids re-work.
What we take off your hands
What EHUP handles
- Scoping precisely which reports your site requires - and which it does not
- Obtaining quotes and presenting one consolidated programme and budget
- Managing the specialists and their deadlines
- Resolving contradictions between reports before lodgement
What you don't have to deal with
- Commissioning a report you did not need
- Chasing six consultants for overdue drafts
- Council finding an inconsistency you did not know existed
Choose your situation
BCA & Fire Safety Report
When a building's use changes - a house becoming an office, a warehouse becoming a gym - its Building Code of Australia classification can change with it, and that triggers stricter fire safety requirements around evacuation routes, smoke detection, fire-rated materials and emergency lighting.
Bushfire Assessment
If your lot is mapped as bushfire prone, a bushfire assessment is required and it changes two things: the construction standard your building must meet, expressed as a Bushfire Attack Level, and usually the approval pathway, because bushfire-prone land removes complying development eligibility in most cases.
Heritage Impact Statement
If your property is a listed heritage item, is in a heritage conservation area, or is adjacent to a heritage item, a Heritage Impact Statement is required with the application.
Traffic Impact Assessment
A traffic impact assessment quantifies the trips a development generates, assesses the effect on the surrounding network and intersections, and demonstrates that parking, servicing and access arrangements work.
Waste Management Plan
Most DAs above a council-set construction value threshold - commonly around $5,000, set locally - need a Waste Management Plan detailing how construction and demolition waste will be sorted, reused, recycled or disposed of, usually against a target diversion-from-landfill rate.
Stormwater Drainage Plan
Stormwater is assessed as part of every DA's general merit assessment, but the engineering standard comes from your council's own specifications - typically requiring on-site stormwater detention (OSD) so your development does not increase peak flood flows onto downstream properties.
Structural Design & Certification
Structural design and certification is the structural engineer's design and sign-off confirming the building's structural elements - footings, framing, load paths - are engineered to the National Construction Code.
Access Report
An access report assesses your development against the accessibility requirements of the National Construction Code and the Disability (Access to Premises - Buildings) Standards 2010 - covering things like accessible paths of travel, entry points, sanitary facilities and car parking.
Geotechnical Report
A geotechnical report investigates the soil, rock and groundwater conditions on your site so a structural engineer can design appropriate foundations - critical on sloping sites, reactive clay soils, or sites with a history of fill or contamination.
Contaminated Land Assessment
If your site has any history of industrial, agricultural chemical or waste-related use, council will likely require a staged contamination assessment before development can proceed - starting with a Preliminary Site Investigation (PSI), which escalates to a Detailed Site Investigation and a Remediation Action Plan only if contamination is actually confirmed.
Acoustic Report
An acoustic report assesses the noise impact of your proposed development - from plant and equipment, patrons, deliveries or industrial processes - against the NSW EPA's noise criteria and how sensitive the surrounding area already is.
Arborist Report
An arborist report assesses the health, significance and structural condition of trees on or near your site, and recommends which should be retained, removed or protected during construction.
Construction Management Plan
A Construction Management Plan (CMP) sets out how your site will be managed during construction - vehicle access and parking, hoarding and site security, construction hours, and dust and noise controls.
Biodiversity Assessment Report
A Biodiversity Assessment Report (commonly a Biodiversity Development Assessment Report, or BDAR) assesses your development's impact on native vegetation and threatened species habitat against the NSW Biodiversity Assessment Method.
Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Assessment
An Aboriginal Cultural Heritage assessment checks whether a site is likely to contain Aboriginal objects or places of significance, following the due diligence process set out under the National Parks and Wildlife Act.
Flood Study Report
If your property is mapped within a council's flood planning area, a flood study or, for a simpler site, a flood advice letter assesses your flood risk and determines requirements like minimum habitable floor levels, flood-compatible materials below that level, and safe access and egress.
Plan of Management
A Plan of Management is a legally binding operational document council attaches as a condition of consent, setting out how you will manage what a DA assessment cannot fully control on paper - noise, security, crowd behaviour, cleaning and responsible-service staff training.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know which reports I actually need?
That is the assessment. It depends on the zoning, the overlays on the lot, the nature of the use and the scale of the works - not on a generic checklist. Over-scoping wastes money and under-scoping causes a request for further information. We produce a specific list with reasons.
Do you produce these reports in-house?
Some - the planning reports, environmental health and food safety work, and BASIX. The rest are produced by specialist consultants we work with regularly, engaged either through us or directly by you. Either way we manage the programme and the interfaces.
Can I engage the specialists myself?
Yes, and on smaller projects that is often sensible. We will still scope what is required and review the reports for consistency with the planning case before lodgement, which is where most of the value in the coordination sits.
Related services
Planning Reports
A Development Application is only as strong as the planning argument attached to it.
Design Services
Drawings and technical design are where most applications either succeed or generate a request for further information.
Commercial & Industrial Approval
Commercial and light industrial projects span a wide range - from a cafe fitout that can be certified in two to three weeks, to a warehouse development where the capital at risk makes feasibility the first priority, not documentation.
Why clients choose EHUP
- 10+
- 250+
- 14
- 1
Not sure which approval you need?
Tell us the address and what you want to do. We'll help identify the appropriate planning pathway, whether it is exempt development, complying development or a full DA. Your first conversation is free.