Social planning is a discipline of strategic planning applied to addressing identified social objectives.
Sustainability in planning balances social, environmental and economic aspects of development and resource management. Barr Planning offers a range of social planning services alongside traditional town planning, to examine the social impacts of development, and design strategies to enhance and benefit the community.
Social Impact Assessment (SIA):
Social Impact Assessment (SIA) is a proactive assessment of development to understand the positive and negative impacts on a community. SIA places people at the heart of the assessment process and strives to maximise positive benefits and mitigate or minimise negative impacts to bring about a more sustainable and equitable environment.
The requirement of a SIA is generally dependent on the size, scale or cost of the proposed development. In NSW all State Significant Development applications are required to include a SIA as part of their documentation. Council’s may also specify development that requires a SIA including:
- Licensed premises
- Early childhood care centres
- Schools and educational establishments
- Boarding houses
- Hospitals or medical centres
- Places of public worship
- Large scale industrial or commercial developments
- Planning proposals
As planning practitioners immersed in all aspects of the development process Barr Planning has a unique perspective and opportunity to ensure project synergies and avoid duplication. We take a conscientious approach in preparing SIAs to understand the social, economic and biophysical environment to develop social capital and achieve ecologically sustainable development.
