Case Study 3 – CSBP Cresco Fertiliser Factory Site

Background

The Civil Group has been involved since 2003 with the redevelopment of this 37 hectare site in Bayswater. The site was contaminated with cinders that had been buried on the site from the manufacture of superphosphate fertiliser. In parallel with the site remediation, The Civil Group is part of the team responsible for the planning and future subdivision of this site. Recently, the Minister for Transport has supported and agreed to our suggestion that a left-in/left-out access road be provided from Tonkin Highway to the site. This road was seen as a critical success factor for the development. Major traffic jams were forecast to occur each afternoon without this access.  The development has had to address a number of very complex drainage; ground water and soils issues to ensure the remediation goals are met and continue to be met in the future. The development will adopt a number of sophisticated design guidelines to ensure this industrial/ commercial and office development will be a show-case for such developments.

Action

The development will adopt a number of sophisticated design guidelines to ensure this industrial/ commercial and office development will be a show-case for such developments.

Stormwater runoff from about a third of the site cannot be disposed of by soakage since the acidity of the groundwater can be altered if the groundwater levels rise above a set level.  This means that the conventional accepted water sensitive design principle of disposing of runoff at “source” cannot be achieved.  How then can runoff not be wasted?

The design guidelines will require the collection for off runoff into large tanks.  Commercial roofs are large so this provides a significant volume of water not available in an urban setting for example.  The water can be used for toilets and irrigation.

Outcomes

Perhaps one can argue that the use of water, energy and amenity in the development of the environs in which people will work are critical success issues. They will be with this development. Most industrial commercial developments are flat, boring, hot and horrible. There is little done to improve the amenity of the area where some people will spend a quarter of their life. The Civil Group has worked with CSBP for the past nine years to ensure that this development is a showcase of what can be done to achieve a much better outcome for this development. Not just engineering outcomes but improvements to amenity, creating a community and a neighbourhood in which to work.