• Services
• Your Council
• Community
  • About Leichhardt
  • Arts & Culture
  • Banner Bookings
  • Community Access
  • Community Directory
  • Community Engagement
  • Community Events Program
  • Community Facilities
  • Community Funding Program
  • Community Plans
  • Community Profile
  • Living Streets
  • Safety
  • Transport
  • Volunteering
  • Social Impact Assessment Policy
• Planning & Development
• Environment
• Recreation
• News & Publication
• Major Community Issues

 Print this page

// Home // Community // Draft Social Impact Assessment Policy

Draft Social Impact Assessment Policy

Social Impact Assessment:

Council is committed to the process of social impact assessment (SIA) as a means of considering social issues more comprehensively and consistently in its planning and decision-making. Demand for a greater focus on social impacts has been driven through:

• A changing demographic profile and pressures arising from inner-urban life and proximity to the Sydney CBD.
• Increasing awareness of planning authorities to apply social criteria in making decisions about development and land use.
• Increasing emphasis by Council and the community on sustainability.
• Increasing emphasis on creating a cohesive, connected, caring, safe, and equitable community. 

Impact assessment is a method for predicting and assessing the consequences of a proposed action or initiative before a decision is made. Social impact assessment (SIA) refers to the assessment of the social consequences of a proposed decision or action (development proposals, plans, policies, and projects) namely the impacts on affected groups of people and on their way of life, life chances, health, culture, and capacity to sustain these [1]. 

The SIA process involves analysing, monitoring, and managing these social consequences, both positive and negative, and any social change processes invoked by them.   The principles for effective SIA are to:

• Seek to support socially sustainable development and decision-making, contributing to the determination of best policy or development alternatives.
• Be informed by relevant policy and legislation and integrate policy priorities in the assessment (for example: affordable housing, equitable access to services, integrated community facilities, sustainable transport).
• Acknowledge the values of local communities. That is, be informed by the things that are likely to impact on community wellbeing (these values differ between communities).
• Identify impacts that are directly related to the proposed development, intervention or policy (demonstrate the connection between the intervention and the likely impact).
• Demonstrate rigor and a social science base in presenting evidence.
• Address how net social benefit can be enhanced through the development or proposal and how negative social outcomes can be ameliorated and managed through mitigating and monitoring measures [2].

 Social Impact Assessment Policy (39.98kB)

 Council Officer Guidelines (95.95kB)

 Guidelines for Development Applicants (105.08kB)