Development assessment

Neutral or beneficial effect on water quality

To ensure future land use protects water quality, all proposed developments that require consent under a council’s local environmental plan will need to demonstrate a neutral or beneficial effect (NorBE) on water quality.

Under the State Environmental Planning Policy (Sydney Drinking Water Catchment) 2011, proposals need to undertake a simple assessment to identify potential risks to water quality (eg sediment from construction) and ways to avoid any adverse impacts from those risks (eg by applying current recommended practices and standards). Possible impacts on both surface and groundwater are considered as part of the neutral or beneficial effect on water quality assessment.

Landholders need to demonstrate a neutral of beneficial effect on water quality for new developments, expansions of existing developments, or any changes in activity on their land that require consent under a council's local environmental plan. The neutral or beneficial effect on water quality test does not apply to existing land uses.

The Neutral or Beneficial Effect on Water Quality Assessment Guideline 2011 provides clear directions about:

  • the meaning of a neutral or beneficial effect on water quality
  • how to demonstrate it
  • how to assess an application against the neutral or beneficial effect test
  • how it will help councils, applicants and consultants.

Appropriate use of current recommended practices and standards  is an important part of the NorBE assessment and the conditions of consent/concurrence.

Water quality information requirements

All development applications in the drinking water catchment must include a water cycle management study (WCMS) to help council and the Sydney Catchment Authority (SCA) assess whether the development will have a neutral or beneficial effect on water quality. The document 'Development in Sydney’s Drinking Water Catchment – Water Quality Information Requirements' describes the different reports and modelling you need to include with a development application, and how they vary for different types and scales of development.

The SCA has prepared a document, 'Using a Consultant to Prepare Your Water Cycle Management Study', to explain how to choose and use a consultant to prepare the water cycle management study for your development application.