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Most development land in Western Australia carries at least one environmental constraint. It could be contamination, acid sulfate soils, groundwater, native vegetation or protected species. Finding them before you buy, design or apply for approval protects your budget and timeline.
This guide covers the common constraints in WA, the risks of pushing ahead regardless, and what environmental consultants do to help.
For advice specific to your site, click here.
Former service stations, workshops, industrial land, market gardens and imported fill can hold hydrocarbons, heavy metals, solvents or pesticides. Under the Contaminated Sites Act 2003, known or suspected contamination must be reported to the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER), and local government can make investigation a condition of approval.
Much of the Swan Coastal Plain sits on sediments that produce sulfuric acid when excavated or drained. Dewatering, or excavating more than 100 cubic metres in a risk area, usually triggers a management plan and further action.
Demolished buildings and buried waste often leave asbestos fragments in the ground. Asbestos found mid-project stops earthworks until it’s assessed and removed.
A shallow water table limits basements and footings and can require a dewatering licence. Land near mapped wetlands may need buffers or assessment.
Clearing native vegetation generally needs a permit under the Environmental Protection Act 1986. Threatened species and their habitat, such as black cockatoo habitat around Perth, can bring state and federal environmental impact assessment into play. Retained vegetation and habitat can also lift the value and planning prospects of a well-designed development.
Bushfire-prone mapping, Aboriginal heritage and flood risk can each shape layout and planning.
Building without dealing with a constraint rarely saves time or money. Instead, it opens your project up to a variety of risks and delays:
Safety: workers and future occupants exposed to pollution, asbestos fibres or ground vapour.
Regulatory: stop-work directions, penalties for non-compliance with environmental legislation, and planning decisions refused or delayed.
Financial: remediation after construction costs far more than before it, and unplanned dewatering or waste disposal can blow out budgets.
Structural: acid sulfate soils and aggressive groundwater corrode concrete and steel.
Transactional: buyers, lenders and insurers ask for evidence the land is clean, and a gap can stall a sale or refinance.
The role of environmental consultants on a development is to identify constraints, test for them, and set out how to manage them so the project can proceed in compliance with its conditions. That usually means:
Desktop review: checking history, mapping and records for contamination, acid sulfate risk, wetlands and vegetation.
Site investigation: sampling soil and groundwater, with analysis by NATA-accredited laboratories.
Reporting: setting out what was found, what it means for the proposed land use and what the regulator will expect.
Management plans: practical controls for construction, such as acid sulfate or asbestos management plans.
Remediation and validation: treating or removing contamination and proving the land meets the criteria.
Monitoring: groundwater and soil testing during and after works.
The earlier a consultant is involved, the more options you have. A constraint found during due diligence can be priced into the purchase or designed around, but the same constraint found during excavation means delays and potentially regulatory action.
When an investigation finds a constraint, we work through it according to best practice:
Define it: confirm what the constraint is, where it is and how much land it affects.
Assess the risk: work out what it means for your proposed use, design and construction method.
Find the least costly path: avoiding the constraint is often cheaper than treating it, for example keeping excavation shallow in acid sulfate areas or placing buildings away from contamination.
Plan the controls: prepare management or remediation plans that your contractors can follow and regulators can audit.
See it through: monitoring, validation and reporting so the constraint is closed off for planning, sale or finance.
For flora, fauna and heritage surveys, we work with specialist ecologists and heritage consultants to ensure the highest quality of field work.
When choosing environmental consultants in Perth, look for experience with DWER requirements, WA conditions and the type of project you’re developing.
We’re a specialist, independent environmental consultancy based in Western Australia with over 13 years of experience in contaminated site investigations, soil and water testing, acid sulfate soils and site assessments. Much of our work is due diligence for developers, construction firms and buyers before they commit to a property.
Send us the address and your development plans and we’ll come back with the checks we’d recommend and what the results may require.
