List the technical studies and consultation the proposal will require.
This section advises identifying the key impact-assessment matters to be examined in the planning proposal, and for each: the issue, the proposed study, and any preliminary consultation. Studies may include traffic, flooding, biodiversity, heritage, urban design, economics, contamination, noise and infrastructure servicing.
Section 5 of the Scoping Report Template is the part of a pre-lodgement scoping report where the council or proponent maps out, up front, what technical studies and consultation a future planning proposal will need. Rather than doing the assessments themselves, this section identifies each impact matter (for example flooding, biodiversity or heritage), names the study or investigation proposed to deal with it, and records any consultation already done or still required. It is essentially a checklist-with-reasoning that lets everyone agree early on the scope of technical work before money is spent preparing a full planning proposal.
The mechanics are simple: for every relevant matter you write three things — the issue requiring assessment, the proposed technical study, and the preliminary consultation (with council specialists, the community or government agencies). The template gives a non-exhaustive list of common study types. Getting this section right reduces the risk of a proposal later stalling because a required study was missed, or of over-investing in studies that were never needed. The scoping report is a guide only and the level of detail is meant to be proportionate to the scale, complexity and context of the proposal.
Because the scoping report is a pre-lodgement tool (not a statutory step and not lodged through the Planning Portal), Section 5 feeds directly into the council's or Department's written advice on what studies will actually be required. It works alongside the separate Standard Study Requirements document and the Consultation Guidance. If this section is thin or wrong, the pre-lodgement advice and the eventual planning proposal study list may be incomplete, causing delays at Gateway or during assessment.
Councils and proponents preparing a scoping report at the pre-lodgement stage — primarily for complex planning proposals. The template is expressly a guide only, so it directs rather than legally binds; it is used by councils, the Department and the DCA to shape study and consultation requirements.
When a scoping report is being prepared ahead of lodging a planning proposal request, typically for complex proposals. Scoping reports are generally recommended for complex proposals; standard proposals can proceed directly to lodgement, though a scoping report may still be beneficial.
The scoping report is not a legislative requirement and is not a recognised step in the NSW Planning Portal; it is generally recommended only for complex proposals, and standard proposals can proceed directly to lodgement. The template is a guide only, so sections not relevant can be removed and others expanded.
Section 5 feeds the Standard Study Requirements for planning proposals (which set out what studies may be required) and the Planning Proposal Framework. The template should be read in conjunction with the Consultation Guidance for planning proposals, which lists agencies and DCA triggers. Consultation identified here connects to pre-lodgement referral of the scoping report to the DCA under the Consultation Framework and to s9.1 Ministerial Directions.
Set out the key environmental and other impact assessment matters that will be further examined in the planning proposal.
For each matter, outline the issue requiring assessment, the proposed technical study or investigation, and any preliminary consultation required or already undertaken (e.g. council specialists, community, government agencies).
Studies may include traffic and transport, flooding, biodiversity, heritage, urban design, economic analysis, contamination, noise, social impact, infrastructure servicing, and others relevant to the site.
The level of detail should be proportionate to the scale, complexity and context of the proposed amendment; sections may be expanded or removed as relevant.
Highly relevant for Kiama. A typical Kiama complex proposal will trigger several of the listed matters at once — coastal risk and flooding (Resilience and Hazards SEPP land, foreshore/estuary areas), bushfire on the vegetated fringe, biodiversity, and heritage in the historic town centres. Section 5 is where a Kiama proponent would flag, for example, a Coastal Risk Assessment, a Flood Impact and Risk Assessment, a biodiversity assessment and a heritage/Aboriginal cultural heritage assessment, plus early consultation with council specialists and the DCA. Doing this well up front is what keeps a small-council assessment on the benchmark timeframes.
“Identify the key environmental and other impact assessment matters that will be further examined in the planning proposal.”
“any preliminary consultation required or already undertaken (e.g., council specialists, community, government agencies).”
“Studies may include, but are not limited to, traffic and transport, flooding, biodiversity, heritage, urban design, economic analysis, contamination, noise, social impact, infrastructure servicing, and others relevant to the site.”
“This section helps scope the technical documentation required to be submitted with the planning proposal.”
Reproduced from the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (planning.nsw.gov.au), © State of New South Wales, under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. Text extraction may introduce minor formatting artefacts — rely on the official source for anything decision-critical.
This is an unofficial reproduction provided for convenience. It is not the official version of the legislation. For the official, in-force version, see legislation.nsw.gov.au.