C1 A certificate, addressed to Council by a practising Structural Engineer specialising in Soils Mechanics, and prepared in accordance with AS 1726:
(a) Certifying that the site is stable and will not be affected by landslide or subsidence above or below the site when the building is erected; and
(b) Identifying existing sub-surface conditions and specifying foundation details appropriate for these conditions and the building proposed.
(c) The following requirements are to be addressed in the geotechnical report to be submitted to the satisfaction of Council:-
(i) These requirements will apply to all Building Applications with the exception of those incorporating only minor additions or alterations or the construction of relatively small buildings (e.g. lawn lockers, carports, sheds) providing that Council is satisfied that no risk of subsidence or ground slip exists on the premises.
(ii) The report must be prepared by a suitably qualified engineer, acceptable to Council, specialising in geophysical sciences. It must show by diagram the location of test drill holes for any excavations to be made and clearly state the result of all subsequent tests of soil samples in a format acceptable to Council. The safe bearing capacity of the soil at any particularly depth must be clearly stated.
(iii) The report is required to provide a site plan of the property, to scale, clearly identifying the proposed building site and certifying the safety of that site and/or alternate sites for ancillary buildings.
(iv) The report must make specific comment on the maximum depth of any cut or excavation, which is allowable to be made in conjunction with the proposed building(s). It should also clearly indicate the required angle or slope (i.e. batter) for any benching or earth wall, or whether such slope is required to be retained by a retaining wall.
(v) The report must specify the type(s) of retaining wall to be used (to be designed by a structural engineer) for the site and, where applicable, those types of retaining walls that should not be used in view of any geotechnical circumstances associated with the site.
(vi) The report is required to identify any specific area(s) on the site where excess earth or earth filling (if proposed) may be safely deposited. Details of maximum depth, compaction, angle of repose, of such earth fill must be stated. Regard to the safety of the proposed building(s), the site itself, and any adjacent sites or buildings must be made.
(vii) The report is required to state if any particular style of building design or material is preferred and/or whether any particular style or design of building should not be used, having regard to the long-term safety of the building.
(viii) The report must specifically deal with the method, which may be used for safe disposal of all roof waters, where such waters cannot be disposed into a storm water drainage system of the Council.
(ix) Council will reserve the right to refuse to accept any report, which does not comply with these conditions and may require a further report or an alternate opinion on the technical detail of the report, where it is not satisfied that the required Information has been provided.
(x) Every engineer specialising in geophysical sciences and preparing report for the consideration of Council is required to provide written evidence with the report of their holding an Insurance policy to the value of $5M ($5,000,000) indemnifying him/her against professional negligence.