48850 Environmental Planning and Law

The objectives of this subject are to: introduce key environmental laws relating to water, waste, energy and land-use issues; give a sound understanding of the history of planning with particular emphasis on the NSW experience; develop awareness of planning legislation in NSW and the need to engineer within the constraints of that legislation; provide knowledge of the planning process and constraints on land-use planning; develop skills to identify and deal with legal problems confronting engineers in industry; develop the capacity to communicate in both written and verbal forms when dealing with legal matters relating to the environment and land use planning; and equip students with the skills necessary to deal with legal issues in the absence of detailed lecture material. This helps students to know when to ask questions or seek professional legal advice, and introduces them to the operation of the Land and Environment Court of NSW.

Students cover the following topics.

• Environmental law – the operations of the Environment Protection Authority of NSW, water and waste legislation (Clean Waters Act and Waste Minimisation Act), air and noise legislation (Clean Air Act and Noise Control Act), miscellaneous environmental legislation addressing pollution issues (Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal Act, Sydney Water Corporatisation Act), and selected court decisions relating to pollution and land-use issues (Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997).
• Environmental planning – evolution of human settlement, NSW environmental planning legislation, urban planning and sustainability, planning the neighbourhood, environmental studies, environmental impact assessment in NSW, traffic noise in the urban environment, project control and the environment, and the operation of the Land and Environment Court of NSW.

Tutorial sessions are scheduled twice each week to discuss environmental law and planning issues using case studies.

Students present a 10-minute discussion paper on an environmental issue of an engineering nature, which assists in developing verbal communication skills and audiovisual equipment usage skills, as well as developing interdisciplinary teamwork skills.

Assessment: Typically assessment for this subject involves presentation, assignments and an examination.

Typical availability

Autumn semester, City campus