ABB253 Site Planning

Unit Outline: Semester 1 2026, Gardens Point, Internal

Overview

This unit will enable you to develop an understanding of the processes, techniques, and skills involved in the development of a site. This capacity is essential for planning professionals, whether they work in the public or the private sector, and is integral to basic development assessment related problems. This unit further develops the skills that you have gained in the first year of your degree by giving you a  grounding in the planning regulations and technical skills related to development.

Through the use of a development brief you will learn, practice and apply site planning processes, techniques and skills on a selected project site from initial site appraisal through to the submission of a development application. This unit establishes capacities at an individual site level that will be further enhanced throughout the course at a variety of different scales in different applications.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:

1. Utilise evidence in the site selection and land use proposal process
2. Critically analyse development assessment guidelines and legislation for proposed developments and make land use recommendations.
3. Apply site planning processes, skills and techniques and propose design and development solutions.
4. Effectively communicate planning and design recommendations and requirements to a range of audiences.

Content

Learning Approaches

Your participation in the unit will include engaging with lectures, tutorials, and consultation sessions that have been developed to:

 -  assist in your understanding and application of the procedures and techniques of site analysis, the development of land use proposals, and development assessment.

- help you to successfully complete the assessment items that will test your ability to apply the material related to the unit.

- provide a mix of structured and more flexible opportunities to engage with the unit.

This is a 12 credit point unit, and will provide one hour for content delivery in the form of a lecture, and two hours of structured tutorials.

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

Feedback in this unit is provided to you in the following ways:

• in-class formative exercises
• in-class review of ongoing assessment activities designed to scaffold the skills needed for successful completion of assessment tasks.
• marking of assessment tasks based on criteria referenced assessment sheets that will be provided at the beginning of semester, and which will also include comments and suggestions for improvement.
• the inclusion of a dedicated draft appraisal tutorial session for each assessment item.
• feedback from teaching staff at completion of reports 

Assessment

Overview

The summative assessment items in this unit develop your understanding of the application of planning law and site planning techniques and skills through the use of the development of a site proposal and detailed site plan related to an actual site and its real world opportunities and constraints. The site proposal will test your capacity to apply learning objectives 1,2, and 4, and the development application will be assessed against learning objectives 1, 2,3, and 4.

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Site analysis and proposal

A detailed site analysis and land use proposal prepared with respect to a selected case study location. 

This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.

Assessment: Final Site Plan and Explanation

Students will submit a detailed site plan and associated explanation, including a comprehensive assessment of the land use planning requirements for the land use outlined in their  proposal submitted earlier in the semester. 

This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a commitment to undertaking academic work and assessment in a manner that is ethical, fair, honest, respectful and accountable.

The Academic Integrity Policy sets out the range of conduct that can be a failure to maintain the standards of academic integrity. This includes, cheating in exams, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating. It also includes providing fraudulent or altered documentation in support of an academic concession application, for example an assignment extension or a deferred exam.

You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.

Breaching QUT’s Academic Integrity Policy or engaging in conduct that may defeat or compromise the purpose of assessment can lead to a finding of student misconduct (Code of Conduct – Student) and result in the imposition of penalties under the Management of Student Misconduct Policy, ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.

Resources

Risk Assessment Statement

All commencing Faculty of Engineering students are required to complete the Mandatory Safety Induction

There are no extraordinary risks associated with the classroom/lecture activities in this unit.