The City of Newcastle, in partnership with Archicentre and the State Government has previously offered a free Sustainable Building Advisory Service to provide residents with quality environmental advice at the initial design stage of residential developments.

Council currently has no grant funding available for this program.  An application is with the NSW EPA (the funding body) for additional funding however Council has not received advice on this application.  Council is currently not taking subscription requests - please check back to this site periodically and we will advise on the availability of funding when known.  Please note that in the absence of receiving this external funding Council will not be able to offer the SBAS.  Thank you.

Would you like to express an interest in the service?

The availability of the service will be subject to additional funding being made available. If you would like to express an interest in the service, and are a Newcastle resident considering alterations or additions to your home,  you can register your interest in the service. In the event additional funding is obtained Council will be in contact with you.

What are the benefits?

Eligible residents will receive a visit from an experienced architect who provides a free environmental assessment and scorecard. The scorecard identifies sustainability features of the house or alteration including passive design, energy saving, water-saving features and the potential financial savings.

What is involved?

A trained sustainability architect will visit your home to perform a free assessment and provide you with your sustainability scorecard. The scorecard is used to qualify the sustainability features of the house without undertaking a detailed audit. It applies whether you are evaluating an existing property, looking at a proposed renovation, or a new house.

The scorecard covers three main areas, including passive design, energy saving and water-saving features.

Complete the form

The Sustainable Building Advisory Service is currently at its capacity for registrations. You can still complete the registration form to express your interest in being contacted when the service commences its next round of assessments.

Express your interest in the next round of assessments. Sustainable Building Request Form. 

Information collected from this form will be forward to Archicentre* to arrange an appointment.

Need more information

Peter Chrystal
Manager, Development and Building Services
The City of Newcastle

Contact the Sustainable Building Advisory Service now or call 02 4974 2793.

*Archicentre is a member-based not for profit subsidiary of the Australian Institute of Architects.