FAQs

 

What is a Visual Impact?
A visual impact is caused when something in the environment is changed in a way that produces a negative or a positive emotional response in people seeing it. It is different from a simple change. For example the visibility, size or colour of an item is not an impact unless people react to it or unless it does not comply with agreed visual quality standards.

What kinds of emotional responses cause people to
experience impacts?
People may like the change, may not like it, or may not understand it. The change may affect the views that they can experience or change the way they understand and interact with the environment.

When do I need a Visual Impact Assessment?
Whenever you, or someone proposing a development that can affect you, require a Development Consent or are required to make or carry out:
a Visual Impact Assessment
a streetscape analysis
a Site Analysis
a pre-DA submission
a Statement of Environmental Effects
a Review of Environmental Factors
an Environmental Impact Assessment
a Statement of Heritage Impact
a Conservation Management Plan
an assessment of view loss or view sharing
a SEPP 65 analysis
Any or all of these may and usually will require a Visual Impact Assessment.