Common Mistakes When Responding to a Council Ecological Information Request

You have submitted a development application, and a few weeks later the council sends you a letter requesting additional ecological information. This is known as an information request – and how you respond to it can make or break your DA timeline.

At Queensland Ecologists, we regularly help applicants recover from poorly handled information requests. Here are the most common mistakes we see – and how to avoid them.

What Is a Council Ecological Information Request?

When you lodge a development application that triggers one or more environmental overlays in the local planning scheme, the assessing council will often issue a formal information request under the Planning Act 2016. This is sometimes called a “Section 62” request (referring to the relevant section of the Act).

The request will typically ask you to provide an ecological assessment report that demonstrates how your proposal addresses the relevant overlay codes. The council is not asking you to prove there are no ecological values on the site – they are asking you to properly assess and respond to the planning scheme requirements.

Getting this wrong wastes time, costs money, and can push your project back by months.

Mistake 1: Responding With a Generic Desktop Report

This is the single most common mistake we see. The applicant engages someone to produce a desktop ecological report – a document that pulls together database searches, aerial imagery, and state mapping – without anyone actually visiting the site.

Desktop reports have their place (for example, in preliminary due diligence). But when a council has specifically asked for an ecological assessment, they expect:

• Field-based flora and fauna surveys conducted on the property
• Vegetation community mapping ground-truthed against what is actually growing on the ground
• Habitat assessments that document features like hollow-bearing trees, watercourses, and fauna movement corridors
• Seasonal survey requirements met where applicable (for example, koala surveys, migratory shorebird counts)

A desktop report will almost always be rejected, resulting in a second information request and further delays.

Mistake 2: Not Addressing the Specific Overlay Code Requirements

Each council planning scheme has overlay codes that set out specific performance outcomes and acceptable outcomes for development in mapped areas. The information request letter will usually reference the exact codes that apply.

A common mistake is submitting a general ecological report that describes the site’s ecological values but does not address the overlay code requirements point by point. Councils want to see a clear, structured response that demonstrates compliance – or proposes suitable offsets or mitigation measures where full compliance is not achievable.

A good ecological assessment report will include a dedicated compliance table that maps each applicable performance outcome to the relevant site findings and proposed response. If your report does not do this, expect the council to send it back.

Mistake 3: Submitting an Environmental Management Plan Instead of an Ecological Assessment

These are two different documents, and confusing them is a surprisingly frequent mistake.

• An ecological assessment report identifies and maps ecological values, assesses impacts, and demonstrates how the proposal addresses overlay code requirements. This is what the council wants at the DA stage.
• An environmental management plan (EMP) is a construction-phase document that sets out management actions, monitoring, and responsibilities. This is usually conditioned as part of the approval – it comes later.

If the council asks for an ecological assessment and you submit an EMP, you have answered the wrong question entirely. The assessment must come first because the EMP depends on its findings.

Mistake 4: Using an Ecologist Who Does Not Know the Local Planning Scheme

Queensland has over 70 local government areas, each with its own planning scheme and overlay codes. The specific requirements for development in environmental overlay areas vary significantly between councils.

An ecologist who is experienced in, say, the Sunshine Coast planning scheme may not be familiar with the specific provisions of the Moreton Bay or Logan planning schemes. This leads to reports that miss key requirements, use incorrect terminology, or fail to address the right assessment benchmarks.

When engaging an ecologist for an information request response, ask whether they have experience working with that particular council’s planning scheme. At Queensland Ecologists, we work across South East Queensland councils regularly and maintain up-to-date knowledge of each scheme’s environmental provisions.

Mistake 5: Responding Late or Requesting Extensions Without Engaging an Ecologist First

Under the Planning Act 2016, you have a set timeframe to respond to an information request. If you do not respond in time, your application can lapse.

Many applicants receive the information request, feel overwhelmed, and either:

• Request an extension without having actually engaged an ecologist to start the work, or
• Rush to submit something inadequate just to meet the deadline

Neither approach serves you well. The best course of action is to engage a qualified ecologist as soon as you receive the information request. An experienced consultant can quickly review the letter, advise on the scope of work required, and give you a realistic timeline. If an extension is needed, the ecologist can provide a justification that demonstrates the work is underway.

What a Good Response Looks Like

A strong information request response will include:

• A field-based ecological assessment with survey methods clearly described
• Vegetation mapping at a property scale, ground-truthed and aligned with the Regional Ecosystem framework
• A fauna habitat assessment including targeted surveys where required
• A compliance assessment against each relevant overlay code, presented clearly (typically in table format)
• Impact assessment with proposed avoidance, mitigation, and offset measures where needed
• All supporting maps, photos, and data that demonstrate the basis for conclusions

The report should be written with the council assessment officer in mind. Clear structure, proper referencing, and direct responses to the code make the officer’s job easier – and make approval more likely.

How Queensland Ecologists Can Help

If you have received a council information request relating to ecological or environmental matters, we can help you respond efficiently and correctly the first time. Our team works across South East Queensland councils and understands the specific overlay code requirements for each planning scheme.

We handle the full process – from reviewing the information request letter, scoping the fieldwork, conducting surveys, and delivering a compliant ecological assessment report ready for lodgement.

Received a council information request? Don’t risk a rejected response. Request a quote or call (07) 3018 7538 to discuss your information request with our team.