Environmentally relevant activities—Prescribed

Environmentally relevant activities (ERAs) that are prescribed activities are generally industrial or intensive animal industries with the potential to release emissions which impact on the environment and surrounding land uses. A full list of all of the prescribed ERAs can be found in Schedule 2 of the Environmental Protection Regulation 2019.

There are two approval paths for prescribed ERAs. Many prescribed ERAs require concurrence assessment by the state and are identified in schedule 2 of the Environmental Protection Regulation 2019. These concurrence ERAs are identified in column 3 of Schedule 2 with a capital 'C'.

A development application for a concurrence ERA is also an application for an environmental authority (EA), according to s115 (2) of the Environmental Protection Act 1994 (EP Act).

Where a concurrence ERA is a material change of use, a development application is referred to the state for assessment under State Code 22: Environmentally Relevant Activities and the Guideline.

Refer to the Queensland Planning System website for more detail on how to prepare and lodge development applications.

Some prescribed ERAs are not subject to concurrence assessment by the state. Common examples of prescribed ERAs not requiring concurrence assessment are ERAs which:

  • are not identified in column 3 of schedule 2 of the Environmental Protection Regulation with a capital 'C'
  • are mobile or temporary operations
  • the concurrence ERA will be carried out under an existing EA for an ERA for the premises, where the existing ERA has a higher Aggregate Environmental Score or AES in the EP Regulation
  • are devolved to local government for both development assessment and EA.

For more information regarding the lodgement of an EA application, refer to the Business Queensland portal.

Financial assurance

Where an activity will result in significantly disturbed land, the department may place a condition on an EA requiring the payment of a financial assurance (FA).

For further information on FA, including when FA may be required and how it is calculated, refer to the Business Queensland website. The Business Queensland webpages includes links to all relevant documents and forms, including the guideline Financial assurance under the Environmental Protection Act 1994 (ESR/2015/1758).

Pre-lodgement meetings

The State Assessment and Referral Agency (SARA) is the point of contact for ERAs administered by the state requiring development applications. For information on how to organise a pre-lodgement meeting, please contact your local SARA office.

The department is the point of contact for EAs for ERAs administered by our department (whether integrated with a development application or not).

For further information on how to organise a pre-lodgement meeting for an EA, please email palm@des.qld.gov.au, phone 13 QGOV (13 74 68) or complete and submit the application form Application for pre-lodgement services for an environmental authority.

Resources

All applications forms, guidelines, policies and information sheets are now located on Policies, procedures and guidelines.