Integrating environmental assessment with project delivery

Environmental assessment is a key part of the scope for delivery of any development and is required by both state and Commonwealth legislation. The integration of environmental assessment and project delivery is critical to its success, however, it can be overlooked or not adequately considered.

Regulators require evidence that the design of the project has considered environmental constraints through optioneering and justification for key decisions.

Further, projects often require modifications or additional approvals to compensate for changes made during or following completion of the environmental assessment. These steps can have significant time and cost implications for a project which may have been avoidable.

Integrating environmental assessment and project delivery can be complicated and requires specific consideration relevant to the size and complexity of a project. The delivery model, staging and schedule can influence how the environmental assessment is completed.

Onward’s Principal – Assessment and Approvals, Phil Burns, outlines the design stages commonly implemented for delivery of a project, the design and environmental assessment focus of each stage, as well as the goal of integrating environmental assessment and project delivery.

Optioneering and site selection stage

Design focus: scoping, site selection, site layout and requirements

Environmental assessment focus: completing preliminary constraints mapping, red flag analysis, opportunities mapping for potential future approvals and approvals pathway(s). Often based primarily on preliminary information and desktop research.

Goal: Site selection, and layout of the project is informed by a preliminary environmental assessment. The level of assessment is sufficient to identify key risks and opportunities which may require consideration or change the preferred option.

Strategic design stage / options assessment

Design focus: refinement of design options and layouts and selection of a preferred layout

Environmental assessment focus: informing options assessment and risk avoidance or minimisation (through multi-criteria analysis or other methods). Environmental scoping and preliminary applications are generally submitted during this stage to determine the environmental assessment requirements.

Goal: The early design stages are completed with consideration of environmental constraints and opportunities. Design decisions, informed through optioneering, consider cost benefit for environmental values.

Feasibility design stage

Design focus: a full design of the project is completed; however, some aspects or details remains to be investigated during the next design stages. Project information such as layouts, measurements and construction methodologies are developed.

Environmental assessment focus: detailed environmental assessment is generally completed at this stage. Coordination of feedback loops on key issues requiring design responses, consideration of mitigation approaches, including design refinement.

Goal: The environmental assessment is based on comprehensive design information, with sufficient confidence to minimise the risk of significant changes. The environmental assessment allows for flexibility in the design to be further refined in subsequent stages.

Detailed design stage

Design focus: final design, issued for construction drawings, engagement of construction contractor and commencement

Environmental assessment focus: approvals complete or in final stages. Review of detailed design changes for consideration of consistency. Adjustment of approvals (where possible) in final stages.

Goal: Consistency review is completed between the design and approvals, with changes incorporated where required (and possible) to avoid the requirement for modification or additional approvals resulting in time delays.

Construction and operation

During the final stages of the project, environmental management and mitigation measures are implemented through the construction and operational stages. Where the environmental assessment and project delivery has been well integrated, there should be a reduced level of risk of unforeseen challenges or re-assessment being required, leading to a smoother transition through the stages of the project.

For environmental assessment and approvals support that integrates seamlessly with your project design, reach out to us.