Building Standards - Building Approval Pathway

A significant test in building sustainable communities is how Lot Owners deal with their neighbours when placing and sizing their homes. The approval pathway sets down a requirement for Lot Owners to participate in a neighbourhood exchange at early stage of their home design and we recommend the exchange is facilitated by a design professional.

The aim of the exchange is to optimise the location of houses on lots to achieve equity across the neighbourhood in respect of solar access and overshadowing, and to consolidate at an early stage of the design consideration of both Hill Thalis and Central Coast Councils building setbacks and building envelopes and incorporation of common garden and services easements.

The Building Review Panel’s recommendation with respect of access to sunlight is set out in Appendix 3 – Solar Access of these Building Standards. While the criteria are guidelines only and not mandatory they should inform each neighbourhood exchange.

Which lots are included in a specific neighbourhood exchange will be agreed between the Building Review Panel and Lot Owners, and decided with reference to a lot’s potential impact on an adjacent property. Lots impacting each other constitute a neighbourhood for the Facilitated Exchange. As an example, Lots 2 – 6 and Lots 7 – 9 in Stage 1 suggest themselves as natural neighbourhoods.

Outcomes from the Facilitated Exchange are to be documented in a Neighbourhood Agreement, which states the placement and size of Lot Owners’ homes and associated structures across the entire neighbourhood.

The objective of this step is to prepare all documents needed for the Lot Owner to tender their building works and to gain NEV’s building approval and Council’s development consent.

NaTHERS and BASIX certificates are to be obtained by the Lot Owner at their cost as part of their design development. A list of NatHERS assessors located on the Central Coast is found online at NEV's Building Standards - NatHERS Assessors wiki page.

Lot Owners also complete the Design Assessment Scoresheet and provide any documentation needed to support the information provided in the scoresheet.

At the end of Stage 2, the Sustainable Design Appraiser assigned to a Lot Owner will review and endorse the Lot Owner’s scoresheet. If the requisite score is achieved, the design will automatically be accepted by the Building Review Panel, and a Design Confirmation Certificate issued.

Once NEV’s Design Confirmation Certificate is issued, the Lot Owner can proceed to lodge their plans with Council.  

 The Lot Owner proceeds with their building works. 

Once the building works are completed and an Occupancy Certificate is issued, the Lot Owner’s home can be occupied and enjoyed.

Energy use will be monitored by NEV Power. In a situation where energy use significantly varies from design expectations, the Community Association may review energy consumption with the Lot Owner to determine where the variance from design occurs, and to establish strategies for reducing the demand for power.

Differential charges for power may also be applied, with higher rates charged when consumption is more than an agreed limit.