The First Stage of Remediation
The first stage of the remediation work was undertaken to remediate material on-site for which no additional investigation works were required. The Stage 1 works included the removal of aboveground infrastructure and limited soil remediation works, mainly to prepare the site for the larger scale remediation works (Stage 2). The Stage 1 works did not require development consent. A RAP for Stage 1 was prepared and followed, and an Environmental Management Plan was prepared to manage any potential impacts on the local community or environment. The Stage 1 works were validated by environmental consultants and the validation report was provided to the EPA in November 2015.
Other recent work includes the completion of soil, groundwater, surface water and soil vapour sampling to investigate and define the contamination at the site, the operation of a boundary groundwater control system in 2016, upgrades to security lighting, fence repairs and the removal of graffiti.
Next Steps
The completion of the remediation works, Stage 2, requires a RAP agreed with the EPA and an EIS.
Following submission to the NSW DP&E in mid 2018, the EIS has been under assessment by the NSW DP&E, with input from the EPA and other relevant agencies. The EIS will need to be approved by the NSW Minister for Planning, along with the Development Application, before works can commence.
The Clyde Street site operated as a gasworks from 1913 to 1985 under Newcastle Gas Company.
In 2006 Jemena acquired the site as part of a business transaction. Since then, Jemena has committed to carrying out the remediation of contamination resulting from the historic operation of the site as a gasworks. Significant progress has been made with respect to contamination assessment. Remediation planning is being done in consultation with the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA), Newcastle City Council, and the NSW Department of Planning and Environment (DP&E).
In August 2011 the NSW EPA declared the Clyde Street, Hamilton North site to be 'Significantly Contaminated Land' under the NSW Contaminated Land Management Act. Since 2012, Jemena has been working within a Voluntary Management Proposal framework for the management and eventual remediation of contamination.
More Project History
The first stage of the Clyde Street Remediation Project, preliminary remediation activities, commenced in late 2014 and was completed in late 2015.
The NSW Minister for Planning declared the remediation project a ‘State Significant Development’ under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act on 29 October 2015.
A Management Order (MO) was issued by the EPA on 21 December 2015 imposing timeframes for site assessment activities and the main remediation works.
The first formal stage of preparing for the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) with the DP&E was the submission of a Preliminary Environmental Assessment (PEA). This was completed in late May 2016, followed by a clarification addendum in July 2016. On 15 June 2016 the DP&E chaired a planning focus meeting with the relevant agencies, Jemena, and its consultants. The next step was for the DP&E to issue the Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements (SEARs).
In accordance with the requirements of the MO, a Remediation Action Plan (RAP) was submitted to the EPA on 30 June 2016 as required by the MO.
The SEARs were issued by the DP&E on 8 September 2016.
The MO was modified by the EPA on 30 December 2016. Rather than specify actual dates for completion of the works, it acknowledged that the timing was subject to planning approvals and it specified completion time frames following receipt of approvals.
A revised RAP was completed in March 2018. It was reviewed by the EPA-accredited Site Auditor and then submitted to the EPA for review and endorsement.
An EIS has been prepared in accordance with the provisions of the EP&A Act and the Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation 2000 and addresses DP&E’s SEARs issued for the Project on 8 September 2016.
DP&E has publicly exhibited the EIS to consult with local Council, government agencies, other key stakeholders and the community. The EIS was on public exhibition from 2 August 2018 to 29 August 2018. Jemena spent significant time at the end of 2018 liaising with DP&E and relevant agencies to close out questions that arose from the EIS, via a Response to Submissions report.
The EIS included a range of specialist studies to assess the environmental and social acceptability of the proposed remediation work. It was assessed by DP&E with input from the other relevant agencies, and approval was granted by the NSW Minister for Planning in July 2019.
