Nice spot for a new development, pity about the complex contamination issues. It’s also a pity that many contaminated land consultants struggle to understand and accordingly advise on constructability issues, even for simple sites.

When Newlands Civil targeted the former Knights Commercial Laundry Site, located next to a former gasworks in Toowoomba, they partnered with Environmental Advisors to remove the complexity and get ahead of the competition with site acquisition and development. We rapidly reviewed documentation and rationalised the soil, vapour and groundwater contamination impact. This provided the assurances for Newland’s business case around minimal costs and maximum refurbishment potential for the heritage listed building.

By designing a passive vapour extraction system (with confirmatory air quality monitoring post-construction) above a contamination hotspot of former dry-cleaning chemicals, we were able to avoid significantly more costly remediation and structural works. The building now houses a vibrant mix of tenants and Newland’s new corporate headquarters in Toowoomba.