Published on Thursday, 18 January 2024 at 9:01:00 AM

The City of Vincent will be the first local government in Australia to launch a GreenTrack priority assessment service for residential development applications.

The service has been developed to encourage more people to construct energy and resource efficient homes with environmentally sustainable design principles.

As part of the service, applicants who submit a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) with any single house and grouped dwelling proposal will be able to have their application prioritised.

A LCA measures the environmental performance of the building over its lifetime. Some requirements include lifetime saving targets for global warming potential and net freshwater use.

The City will also subsidise the costs applicants need to pay to obtain an LCA, to a maximum of $200, to further incentivise the design of greener and more energy efficient buildings across Vincent.

“We are thrilled to be the first local government in Australia to introduce a GreenTrack service,” said Mayor Alison Xamon.

“This will have a huge impact on our sustainability footprint in residential areas and help tackle climate change at a local level.

“We want to help lead the transformation in how we live and use our resources in the future and reward our community for choosing to invest in environmentally friendly design.

“Getting this right at the beginning will save time and money during construction as fewer expensive add-ons will be required to achieve performance targets.

“This is in addition to a lifetime worth of financial savings for residents who live in a comfortable energy and water efficient home.”

The initiative is aligned with the Enhanced Environment and Sensitive Design priorities in the Strategic Community Plan 2022-2032.

“This builds on our work in the Environmentally Sustainable Design (ESD) space over the past decade, where we’ve supported people in their journey to build energy and resource efficient homes with minimal impact on the environment,” said Ms Xamon.

“Back in 2017, we introduced an updated Policy 7.1.1 – Built Form, which includes requirements for landscaping such as tree canopy cover, plants, deep soil zones and environmentally sustainable design elements such as solar panels.

“Our Policy 7.5.10 – Sustainable Design also outlines the key elements for homeowners, developers and builders in constructing and renovating buildings in a more sustainable way.”

The City will ensure GreenTracked applications are assessed within 10 working days, in comparison to the average of 20 working days.

Applicants can also receive a free one-hour consultation with a member of Vincent’s Design Review Panel.

The consultation will provide expert advice to homeowners, home designers, builders and industry professionals on how they can renovate, build and operate healthier, more efficient homes.

More information is available on Vincent’s Environmentally Sustainable Design webpage.

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