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City of Wollongong
Resident Visitor Business

Builders' Toolkit

Maintaining your building site is important to reduce its impact on the environment. Below are some resources to help you build responsibly.

Sediment and erosion

  • Use appropriate sediment controls. This can halve your impact on our waterways by 50%.
  • Protect gutters and drains so sediment and other material from your site doesn't wash into the water system.
  • Watch the weather. If rain is expected, install extra sediment controls to limit runoff and avoid fines. For windy conditions, make sure building materials and items on your site are adequately secured.
  • Know your responsibilities and follow directions. If you're building under development approval, there may be extra steps in your consent that you'll need to take to maintain your site while building.
  • Watch where you're working. Make sure activities like brick cutting, concrete wash out and similar actions are done within the site and away from the kerb and gutter.
  • Manage waffle pods if you're using them. While waffle pods are on site, you must comply with the code of practice and remove them from site as soon as possible after installation.

Penalties

Significant fines, which are set by the NSW Government, can apply if your building site is causing pollution to our waterways and the environment. Fines can be up to $15,000 for individuals, or up to $30,000 for companies.

General tips

  • Make sure you have the right approval for your development
  • Read all the conditions of your development approval
  • Apply for additional approvals as required, for example:
  • Fence off your site from public access
  • Make sure all site signage is installed and visible
  • Keep all materials and building supplies within the site
  • Make sure your site has a compliant bin installed before works start. Your bin should have a tight-fitting lid and be able to conceal all waste.

Helpful resources

These are just some resources that may help you with the building process.

Wollongong Development Control PlanA set of Council policies that explain how developments need to be designed to meet local and state rules.
The 'Blue Book'The NSW Office of Environment and Heritage's guide for managing soil and stormwater during construction.
ESPA Pod Code of PracticeGuidelines for the safe storage, transportation, and onsite management of EPS waffle pods.
State Environment Planning Policy (Exempt and Complying Development Codes) 2008Legislation that applies to Complying Development Certificates.