Skip to main content

Key Guidance

Built form, design and environmental amenity

Design, layout and amenity are crucial elements to be considered in the assessment of a State significant project.

This page provides key guidance on the following issues and assessment requirements: 

  • Design quality
  • Built form and urban design
  • Environmental amenity
  • Visual impact
  • Public space
  • Trees and landscaping

To help ensure that well-designed buildings and places are built the guidance documents below provide clarity on built form requirements, amenity considerations and what comprises high quality architecture and urban design.

Visit the Government Architect webpage

Better Placed

Better Placed is an integrated design policy for the built environment of NSW. It seeks to capture our collective aspiration and expectations for the places where we work, live and play.

View the Better Placed Design Policy

NSW State Design Review Panel Guidelines for Project Teams

This document sets out the requirements for project teams presenting to the NSW State Design Review Panel (SDRP).

View the SDRP Guidelines for Project Teams.

Apartment Design Guide

This guide provides consistent planning and design standards for apartments across NSW. Design criteria and general guidance is also provided about how development proposals can achieve the nine design quality principles identified in SEPP 65.

View the Apartment Design Guide

Crime prevention and the assessment of development applications guidelines 

The State Government has prepared these guidelines as part of a broad approach to reducing crime through better design.

View the Crime prevention and the assessment of development application guideline

Connecting with Country Framework 

Connecting with Country is a framework to care for Country when designing built environments. The NSW Government is committed to protecting Country, community and sacred sites in the planning and design of places.

The framework supports us to develop connections with Country that can inform the planning, design and delivery of built-environment projects in NSW.

View the Connecting with Country Framework

Greener Places

Greener Places is a design framework for urban green infrastructure that captures our collective aspiration and expectations in planning, designing and delivering green infrastructure in urban areas.

View the Greener Places Framework

Design Guide for Schools 

This document is a design guide for new school development and upgrades in NSW and accompanies the State Environmental Planning Policy (Educational Establishments and Child Care Facilities) 2017 (Education SEPP). 

View the Design Guide for Schools

Design Guide for Health

The Design Guide for Health guide provides a comprehensive place based approach to the planning, design and provision of health facilities, while providing high-quality clinical infrastructure.

View the Design Guide for Health

Design in Context – Guidelines for Infill Development in the Historic Environment 2006

These guidelines provide information on the legislative context for infill design and outline six key criteria that are used in assessing development applications for new buildings affecting a heritage item or within a conservation area.

View the Guideline

Large Scale Solar Energy Guideline

The Large-Scale Solar Energy Guideline gives the community, industry and regulators certainty about the planning framework for the assessment and approval of such projects. 

The guideline gives advice on a range of assessment matters including glint and glare and other visual impacts of solar projects.

View the Large -Scale Solar Energy Guideline

View the technical supplement- Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment.

View information on the energy policy and assessment framework

Guidelines for Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment (3rd edition)

This guideline aims to ensure that all possible effects of change and development both on the landscape itself and on views and visual amenity, are considered in decision-making for projects.

View the Guidelines

Wind Energy: Visual Assessment Bulletin 2016

This bulletin aims to guide the appropriate location of wind energy development in NSW and to establish an assessment framework for the assessment of visual impacts associated with wind energy. The bulletin applies to all new development applications for State significant development wind energy projects that obtain the Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements issued after the date of its publication (i.e. December 2016). The bulletin also applies to any modification applications, submitted after its publication, which propose additional turbines, a significant reconfiguration or increase in height to the approved turbines.

View the Bulletin

Transport Corridor Advertising and Signage Guidelines 2017

This guideline outlines best practice for the planning and design of outdoor advertisements in transport corridors, such as along or adjacent to classified roads, freeways, tollways, transitways, railway corridors, or on bridges or road and rail overpasses. The guideline complements the provisions of State Environmental Planning Policy No. 64 – Advertising and Signage.

View the Guideline

Dark Sky Guideline 2023

This guideline provides advice on key lighting principles and controls to help minimise the impact of light pollution on the Siding Spring Observatory and in the Dark Sky Region. The Dark Sky Region consists of land within a 200km radius of Siding Spring Observatory and includes Coonamble, Dubbo, Gilgandra and Warrumbungle local government areas. State significant proposals within the Dark Sky Region must consider the guideline.

View the Guideline

Last updated: 03/12/2024

Contents