SiteCheck
Biodiversity Screening
SiteCheck
Professional biodiversity screening for NSW development sites.
UDIA NSW research found biodiversity costs are adding up to $20,000 per lot on NSW sites where vegetation exists. Not because the constraints are unmanageable. Because they are being discovered too late, after design is locked and options are limited.
Currently serving New South Wales
The problem most developers discover too late
The price is right. The location works. You start negotiating and commissioning design, before anyone understands the restraints.
Biodiversity Values Map, threatened species records nearby, or a clearing threshold triggers a Biodiversity Development Assessment. Council can't approve without it. The pathway just changed, and your design's already locked.
Targeted surveys ordered. DA delayed or withdrawn. The site you committed to now needs a design you haven't paid for, or can't get approved at all. The cost is not just financial.
UDIA NSW research: biodiversity costs are adding up to $20,000 per lot where constraints are discovered late.
SiteCheck moves that discovery to day one. Know the triggers before the design.
Anyone who needs to know about ecological constraints before committing time or money to a site.
Quickly assess site feasibility before committing to full ecological assessments or purchasing land
Understand vegetation clearing constraints and threatened species risks before works commence
Early-stage design constraint identification for residential and commercial projects
Rapid desktop screening for proposal triage, scoping, and preliminary client advice
Understand ecological constraints before purchasing, subdividing, or developing property
Due diligence screening for property transactions and vendor disclosure obligations
Every submission includes a Word report, two PDF maps, and a GeoJSON data package. Reviewed by a GIS specialist before delivery.
Map 1 screenshot
Map 2 screenshot
Report page screenshotWant to see what your report will look like before you pay?
Real output from a real site · Site details redacted · Opens in page viewer
Informed decisions start with better information - before you spend a dollar on studies, surveys, or a DA.
SiteCheck gives you the ecological picture before commitments are made, so your ecologist is briefed, not surprised.
SiteCheck is an early-stage desktop screening tool, not a replacement for ecological assessment. Built to help you plan smarter and avoid costly surprises.
Automated queries against six core NSW Government datasets, delivered within 24 business hours. Metric-accurate GDA2020 buffering, weighted risk scoring, fully auditable.
Every report is reviewed by our GIS specialist before delivery. 23+ years spatial analysis experience, human-verified before it reaches you.
Fixed price, fixed turnaround. Use it to scope your project and brief your ecologist with data, not assumptions, before formal assessment begins.
SiteCheck now queries iNaturalist - the world's largest citizen biodiversity database - alongside official government datasets. Every submission now includes nearby research-grade species observations from the community.
Government datasets have lag time. iNaturalist captures what's on the ground right now - recent sightings that haven't yet entered formal databases.
We only include observations verified by multiple independent identifiers. Not casual sightings - community-confirmed, peer-reviewed records.
iNaturalist data is clearly marked as contextual - not regulatory. Your ecologist decides its weight. We show it so nothing is missed.
iNaturalist data appears in your report and GeoJSON data package as a separate layer, clearly distinguished from authoritative government datasets. It is never used to determine risk level - that calculation uses only NSW Government sources. iNaturalist adds context, not conclusions.
Species observation data provided by iNaturalist, a joint initiative of the California Academy of Sciences and National Geographic Society. Data licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.
Four steps from submission to report. No phone calls, no waiting rooms.
Submit shapefile, Lot/DP, or address via our secure form
Six core NSW Government biodiversity datasets, plus supporting layers, queried automatically against current, auditable source data.
Our GIS specialists review every report before it reaches you
Professional PDF with maps, risk flags, and plain-English summary
Automated biodiversity and ecological constraint screening for NSW development sites - using authoritative government datasets, delivered within 24 business hours.
SiteCheck is built by Louise Johnston, Spatial and Environmental Specialist with 23 years of NSW practice. Every screening is reviewed before it reaches you, because data accuracy and professional output standards matter.
I built SiteCheck because I kept seeing the same problem - developers and planners commissioning costly redesigns, delayed DAs, and reactive ecology reports that could have been avoided if anyone had looked at the biodiversity picture first. This tool is what I wished existed years ago.
Louise Johnston
Specialist, 23 years NSW spatial practice
Global Design Hub, Lake Macquarie, NSW
Actively used and reviewed by practising ecologists, arborists, and specialist partners across NSW.
No quotes, no surprises. All prices exclude GST.
+ GST · Delivered within 24 business hours
Payment is requested after you review and confirm your site boundary - not before. Secure payment via Stripe.
+ GST · Same business day (submit before 12pm AEST)
Same boundary confirmation flow. Priority queue - submit before 12pm AEST for same business day delivery.
Bulk pricing available for consultants & developers • 5+ sites - contact for account pricing • info@sitecheckau.com
"The underlying government datasets are publicly available. Finding them, projecting them correctly, and cross-referencing six sources by hand takes days if you know exactly what you are doing. SiteCheck delivers that desktop picture within 24 business hours."
Choose how to define your site boundary
Your screening request has been submitted. Reference:
You'll receive a confirmation email shortly. Your report will be delivered within the selected timeframe.
Review your site boundary below - lot lines and street names shown for context. Gold outline = your site. Dashed rings = 500m and 1,500m buffers. If the wrong lot is highlighted, use the pin tool to correct it.
Confirming takes you to secure payment via Stripe.
No. SiteCheck provides early-stage screening to help you determine whether a full ecological assessment may be required under state legislation. It does not replace professional ecological advice or regulatory assessments such as a Biodiversity Development Assessment Report (BDAR).
We query six core BAM-relevant datasets including the Biodiversity Values Map (BVM), BioNet Atlas threatened species records, threatened ecological communities, NPWS protected areas, native vegetation, and waterways and riparian land - plus supporting layers including SEPP Biodiversity and Conservation overlays, heritage, and planning zoning. iNaturalist community science observations are included as supplementary context. All sources are documented in your report.
SiteCheck currently covers New South Wales only, using authoritative NSW Government spatial datasets. We query the most comprehensive set of state biodiversity and planning constraint layers available. Coverage of other states is planned for a future release.
Shapefiles provide exact site boundaries - critical for partial lot development, irregular boundaries, or multi-parcel sites. Lot/DP lookup retrieves the cadastral boundary directly from NSW Government records and is the most reliable alternative. Address lookup geocodes to the lot centroid and retrieves the cadastral boundary where available. All three methods show you the boundary on a map for confirmation before proceeding.
After submitting, your site boundary is displayed on a map for confirmation. Once you confirm the boundary is correct, our automated pipeline queries all datasets, scores the constraint risk, and generates your report and maps. Our team reviews the output before it is emailed to you within the selected turnaround period.
Yes. Each site is submitted individually. For 5 or more sites, contact us for account pricing - we offer streamlined processing and volume rates for ecological consultants, developers, and planning firms with ongoing screening needs.
SiteCheck Biodiversity Screening is an automated early-stage ecological constraint identification tool only. It is not and does not constitute:
Screening results are based on publicly available government spatial datasets current at the time of analysis. Data accuracy, completeness, and currency are subject to the limitations of source datasets. Ground-truthing and professional ecological assessment are required for all development proposals. Users assume full responsibility for decisions made using this report.