On August 29th, an article was published on Stuff talking about complicated real estate in New Plymouth. We have included a link for you below, and although it focuses a bit on the well-publicised Corteva site in Paritutu Road, it mentions other land development projects that BTW have consulted too.
The title of this article says it all – land development is a balancing act as you dance the line between risk and reward.
Land is scarce in New Plymouth, and some prime spots for industrial and big retail ventures require investigation and remedial work for land contamination. But this does not have to stop investors in their tracks. If from the outset you have accurate information on remediation steps and costs, and planning guidance for development opportunities and the consenting process, you can put smart solutions on the table, mitigate risk and the rewards can be big.
As a local multidisciplinary consultancy, BTW are on the ground, drawing on specialist knowledge and cross team collaboration to make things happen for clients. Our Environmental Services Team provide landowners and commercial operators who may have contaminated soil or waterways on their site, with required environmental compliance and management plans, environmental monitoring and reporting, Health Safety and Environmental auditing, ecological assessments and reporting, or asbestos surveys and management plans. The key is to have with our environmental planning consultants on board early.
The proposed redevelopment of the Ravensdown site at the gateway to New Plymouth is a good example. The proposed commercial and retail complex on the corner of Devon Road, Smart Road and Katere Road will provide our community with a wide range of facilities whilst also safely cleaning up contaminated land at the entrance to New Plymouth and providing road upgrades for safe and efficient access.
This development is significant for New Plymouth from a public health perspective, in that it will remove deteriorating buildings clad with asbestos. Contaminated soils within the site will also be remediated to provide for the new development.
BTW have worked closely with the developers for this project from early on, providing specialist environmental reporting for the consultant group. Alongside this, our teams have provided planning, surveying, and civil engineering consultancy services to get this project over the line.
Our consultancy on both the Brooklands Road and Barrett St hospital sites mentioned in the article tell a similar story. BTW provided environmental surveys and soil testing for both land parcels empowering the property owners. The work we do helps rule things in, not out.
If there is a known or potential history of soil contamination from current or past land use our Planning and Environmental Teams can complete a contaminated land investigation to identify the level of contamination and advise you what remedial action is required for the intended land use. Without it, development cannot take place. Consents do not get issued. Benefits and potential go unrealised.
Let’s take asbestos as one example. Barrett St Hospital is a well-known site in this regard. An asbestos survey systematically identifies the presence of any asbestos or asbestos containing material (ACM) in a building or on a property, and the data collected is then used to create Asbestos Management Plans, which are a legal requirement. To help property owners gain consents and meet regulations and responsibilities BTW’s Environmental Science Team have suitably qualified and experienced practitioners (SQEPs) to meet legislation requirements to complete and certify contaminated land investigations. With this information on board, future development of sites such as this can move forward.
This work also fits well with our company values and the importance we place on kaitiakitanga. No one benefits from unusable contaminated land and buildings sitting vacant, so being able to advise on solutions for sites around our region is important.
Not all prospects will be a walk in the park. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it. But that doesn’t mean it has to be hard for those willing to investigate. Do your due diligence well upfront and opportunity awaits.
BTW Company – empowering ownership
For more on BTW’s Environmental Services, check our Environment page