In 2020, the State Government announced that Edith Cowan University (ECU) would move its Law, Business and Technology and Arts Schools to a new Perth CBD campus, vacating the Mt Lawley campus. Development WA was tasked with overseeing the master planning and potential redevelopment of the 18.6ha Mount Lawley site. In 2022 Aurora Environmental was appointed to complete environmental site assessments to support the master planning process and future redevelopment with that work currently ongoing.
The site has a varied history, including a teaching facility, former pine plantation, driver training facility, and a pre-1930s landfill. The site levels have also changed over time as a result of historic development. Contaminants such as heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and asbestos were found in the landfill, which had already been assessed and classified as “Remediated for Restricted Use”. Investigations to date have been undertaken on an active campus and required close liaison with the ECU staff to manage access and underground services.
Aurora’s ongoing assessments aim to address data gaps regarding the site contamination status such that this issue is well understood and the redevelopment planning process is well-informed.
Key Deliverables:
- Review of hazardous building materials and environmental due diligence.
- Analysis of landfill capping, surface water quality, and landfill conditions.
- Site vegetation and Black Cockatoo habitat review.
- Preparation of a Sampling and Analysis Plan to assess soil and groundwater quality across the Site.
- Stage 1 of a large scale site wide Detailed Site Investigation of soil and groundwater for potential contaminants such as asbestos, hydrocarbons, and heavy metals.
- Preliminary remediation options assessment for the historic landfill.
- Close collaboration with the project team to guide project planning.
Liaison with the appointed Contaminated Sites Auditor.
