Council is revising its Sustainable Building and Infrastructure Policy to drive improved sustainability outcomes in its buildings and assets.

This review aims to improve the existing Sustainable Infrastructure Policy, strengthening outcomes for Environmentally Sustainable Development (ESD) in Bayside.

The Sustainable Building and Infrastructure Policy applies to the planning, design, constructions, operation, maintenance, and disposal of Council owned and managed buildings, roads, drainage, and open space assets, and Council owned assets which are managed by lessees and licensees.

The Sustainable Building and Infrastructure Policy will set clear expectations for ESD to be integrated into Council’s building and infrastructure projects.

The objectives of the Sustainable Building and Infrastructure Policy are to:

• Establish a consistent approach to best practice ESD for the design, constructionand disposal of all Council owned and managed buildings and infrastructure to reduce environmental impact and improve climate resilience.
  
• Set clear expectations for ESD to be integrated into the operation of buildings and infrastructure and new lease and licence agreements.
• Support Council’s commitments to achieve our environmental sustainability targets and to maintain our status as a ‘carbon neutral’ organisation.
• Ensure upfront project costs to incorporate ESD requirements are viewed as an investment that will return financial savings and other co-benefits over the life of the asset.

The Sustainable Building and Infrastructure Policy will supersede the Sustainable Infrastructure Policy 2017. The revised policy seeks to reflect current best practice in Environmentally Sustainable Development (ESD).

Council will ensure the financial costs of implementing ESD initiatives and the benefits of reduced operating costs and carbon offsets are integrated into long-term renewal forecasting, respective asset management plans and associated operational and capital budgets. This will include progressively increasing the cost allowance for ESD initiatives in new projects.

• The standards used in the revised Sustainable Building and Infrastructure Policy.

• The types of buildings and infrastructure covered by the revised Sustainable Building and Infrastructure Policy.
• Whether or not Council uses prescriptive rating tools (such as Green Star). In the event Council does not use a rating tool on a particular project, we will work to achieve similar or equivalent sustainable outcomes through policy implementation.
• That Council will continue to reduce the environmental impact of its buildings and infrastructure and maintain its Certified Carbon Neutral status.

This stakeholder assessment is a generalised understanding of sections of the community that have a connection to the project or matter. This information is used to understand the types of tools and techniques that will achieve the strongest and most effective outcomes for engagement and communication.

Impact: What level of change will the stakeholder / community segment experience as a result of the project/matter

Interest: What level of interest has been expressed or is anticipated

Influence: Reference to the IAP2 Spectrum.

Stakeholder	Impact	Interest	Influence
Council building lessees	H	L	Consult
Local Sports Club tenants	H	L	Consult
General Bayside community	L	L	Consult
Residents with an interest in environmental issues	L	H	Consult
Local community organisations	H	L	Consult
Community environmental organisations	L	H	Consult
Local resident associations	L	M	Consult
Bayside Alliance for Heritage and Environment	M	M	Consult
Council Alliance for Sustainable Built Environment (CASBE)	L	H	Inform
South East Councils Climate Change Alliance (SECCCA)	L	H	Inform

The tools and techniques selected for this project are informed by the project content, stakeholders and type of feedback sought.

The unpredictable impact of COVID-19 restricts our ability for drop-in sessions, as well as slower distribution of mail.

Key tools for communicating the project

• Email notification to Have Your Say members.
• Council website news item and e-newsletter, This Week in Bayside.
• Social media, especially sponsored posts to specific target audiences.
• Direct email and/or addressed mail to key stakeholders.

Key methods for gathering feedback

• Online engagement through Have Your Say, including opportunities to ask questions and provide feedback.
• Printed survey and consultation materials available upon request.

Consideration of the proposed Sustainable Building and Infrastructure Policy, along with the findings of the community engagement, has been deferred to the March 2022 Council Meeting.

The agenda for the Council meeting, including a community engagement report and the proposed Policy, will be published via Council's website. Project subscribers will be notified of the results of the engagement and at this time.

The Council meeting will be live streamed via Council’s website. Interested members of the community can ask a question of this meeting or request to be heard.

To subscribe for updates on this project, please click the blue ‘subscribe’ button at the top of the page.

If you would like more information please contact Julian Donlen, Environmental Sustainability Coordinator, on 9599 4749 or jdonlen@bayside.vic.gov.au.