FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
We coordinate the delivery of your Environmental Management Plan (EMP) tailored to your specific business that establishes procedures for handling potentially toxic chemicals and other materials that may pose a risk to human health or the environment. The EMP will formalise operational procedures to minimize the chance of spills or other releases and list the steps that need to be taken in the event of an accident or spill.
Contaminated land remediation is generally required when contamination is encountered during commercial development or as a condition on subdivision or land use consents and will need to be completed as part of the development process. In some instances, it may be more cost effective to manage contamination in place, through an Ongoing Monitoring and Management Plan, to minimize risks to human health and the environment rather than spend the money to remove the contamination. We know that every situation is unique and we will assist you to determine the most cost effective and logical solution for your contaminated land problem.
Land contamination services are provided by a limited number of consultancies. We work with qualified experts in land contamination and, as a multi-discilplinary consutancy, can coordinate this service alongside all other specialist inputs required for a land development project.
These services are provided by a limited number of consultancies. We work with qualified experts in land contamination and, as a multi-disciplinary consultancy, can coordinate this service alongside all other specialist inputs required for a land development project.
Your land may have been identified as “potentially” contaminated because of past activities such as an orchard or commercial fuel storage but the only way to know if it is actually contaminated is by performing a site investigation that includes soil sampling. In the initial stages of the investigation we use a number of sources of information to determine potentially contaminating activities, including historical aerial photography, questions to landowners, Council property records, etc. If such activities are identified, we will coordinate soil sampling in line with established practices to determine if contamination is present.
For commercial properties, it may be advisable to determine contamination conditions through a baseline investigation prior to constructing a petroleum station or other potentially contaminating facility. This can protect you from future litigation should contamination be discovered later. We can assist you with your sampling plan to determine the contamination status of site soil and groundwater before construction begins.
Depending on the zoning you will generally need at least 4ha to subdivide in a rural zone. In some rural zones you will need a lot more than this and in certain circumstances in the Countryside Living Zone there may be possibilities on a site as small as 2ha. We can advise you on this very quickly through our initial enquiry process which is a free service we provide.
Our subdivision experts can advise you on the best subdivision options for your property. Our initial consultation providing this advice is free and includes a comprehensive outline of the process that needs to be followed.
A scheme plan of subdivision needs to be prepared and this will enable a costing to be carried out. As normal urban services such as water and drainage are not normally necessary on a rural subdivision the physical costs are often just driveway formation and power and telecom connections. You will also need to provide mitigation for stormwater runoff whcih may need some vegetation planting. Other requirements specific top the site can be worked out easrly in the process – we can give you guidance on this. Some forms of rural subdivision, such as bonus lost through transferring titles, have greater costs. Of course for all subdivision there is the need for a subdivision consent from the Council and the costs of the actual survey and arranging for titles.
We think we are the best consultant you can get for rural subdivision and we undertake a lot of such work with our rural experts. We advise you on whether your rural site can be subdivided, and guide you through the process from there.
Give us a call and we can let you know almost straight away.