Environmental and geotechnical assessment and remediation

Overview

Senversa has provided environmental services on the former Bradmill Textile Factory since 2010, originally to supervise the factory demolition and complete remediation as part of a DSI to support the Stage 1/Area A1 (northern portion of factory) Environment Audit. The Audit was completed with statement conditions. Senversa has since been retained by Frasers Property Australia to provide environmental, geotechnical advice and design, and superintendency for the site development, which included adjoining industrial (logistics) properties, spanning 26 ha of land in total. The site is currently being developed into medium and high-density residential, retail/commercial and open space areas. Given the size of the site, the site was divided into six separate Environmental Audit areas, in addition to the audit already completed for Stage 1/Area A1 (four of the six Environmental Audits completed to date). 

Senversa developed a soil abatement and geotechnical improvement strategy (removal of ACM and oversized material and lime treatment to improve soil properties) rather than capping and containing ACM on site or wholesale excavation and disposal of fill soils. This approach removed the WorkSafe obligations and addressed work safety concerns during redevelopment of the site. The abatement approach allowed for retention and re-use of soils that would otherwise require offsite disposal, whilst also lifting Environmental Audit restrictions (from Stage 1) that required capping. In total, 262,000 m3 of soils have been uplifted and abated, with 236,000 m3 of abated, stabilised fill backfilled across the 15 ha completed to date (as of mid-2025). 

Challenge

• Creating and implementing an abatement process that worked with Newer Volcanics soils (clays). 
• Retaining soil for re-use (following abatement) as part of cut/ fill soil balancing and flood protection works. 
• Working within Heritage structures and multiple development phases. 
• Achieving Level 1 backfilling to move from a “P” founding condition to a H2 founding condition. 
• Overcoming site sourced pollution issues and achieving clean up so far as reasonably practicable (CUSFARP) 

Outcome

• Uplift and abatement of 262,000 m³ of soil, allowing reuse.
• Backfill of abated soils under Level 1 GITA supervision.
• Completion of environmental audits (four of six completed to date) and lifting restrictions on the existing audit (Stage 1), allowing redevelopment of the site into medium and high-density residential.