Development assessment and approvals
Water-related development includes works that take or interfere with water in a watercourse, lake, spring aquifer, or from overland flow. Such works may include but are not limited to pumps, diversion channels, weirs, dams, or bores.
Approvals for water-related development are dealt with under the Integrated Planning Act 1997 (IPA) (PDF)*.
The Integrated Development Assessment System (IDAS) is the process under the IPA used for assessing and approving development applications for water-related development.
Types of development
Under the IPA, development may be:
- exempt
- self-assessable
- assessable.
(All development is considered exempt unless it is assessable or self-assessable.)
Under this Act, assessable development includes:
- works that take or interfere with water in a watercourse, lake or spring (e.g. pump, gravity diversion, stream redirection, weir or dam)
- artesian bores anywhere in the state
- subartesian water bores used for stock or domestic purposes in certain declared subartesian areas
- subartesian bores used for purposes other than stock or domestic use in declared subartesian areas.
Types of assessment
There are 3 levels of assessment under IPA:
- impact assessment (not relevant to water-related development)
- code assessment
- self assessment.
Assessment codes
Types of approval
- You will require a development permit before you can begin work on assessable development.
- You will not require a development permit before undertaking any self-assessable development, but the work must comply with applicable self-assessment codes.
Applying for a development permit
To apply for a development permit, see information on IDAS on the IPA website.
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Last updated: 21 May 2009