Hamton Property Group
Hamton Property Group is an award-winning, innovative property developer based in Melbourne. The company employs 20 professional staff and oversees $500m worth of current development projects.
Hamton’s philosophy is to ensure its developments outperform in terms of economic viability, good location, design creativity, environmental sustainability, and cultural and community outcomes.
Challenge
Hamton focuses on quality locations in the inner and middle ring suburbs of Melbourne. Here there are many former industrial sites, some needing remediation to enable their conversion to prime, environmentally sustainable residential development sites.
One such site attracted Hamton, where the challenge was to remove chlorinated compounds from contaminated ground water and soil vapour, and to satisfy stringent EPA guidelines for short term remediation, as well as long term maintenance in a residential setting.
Solution
Working with a leading environmental consultant, The Remediation Group designed a hydraulic containment and chlorinated groundwater treatment system that would:
- Extract the contaminated groundwater at the rate approved by the EPA.
- Ensure the water discharge complied with the Trade Waste Agreement from City West Water.
- Ensure that the vapour discharge complied with limits specified by the EPA.
- Operate while siteworks and residential construction were underway.
- Be able to be reinstalled in a dedicated room after completion of construction.
- Operate quietly within the residential building development when completed.
- Operate on site for as long as needed, reliably and with low maintenance.
- Meet maintenance, energy consumption, budget and other requirements of the Owners Corporation.
- Meet Hamton’s budget and other requirements.
Results
The system was approved and, allowing for site access, was constructed on time and on budget in 2007:
After the first 6 months of operation:
- The water discharge from the system satisfied the requirements of City West Water.
- The vapour discharge satisfied the requirements of the EPA.
- The environmental auditor certified the project enabling townhouse construction to proceed.
- All residential units had been pre-sold.
Results in 2010:
- All residential units are being occupied.
- The Remediation Group liaises with the Owners’ Corporation for regular system maintenance.
- The system is in its final position within the development and operates continuously.
- The discharge requirements of the EPA and City West Water continue to be met.
- The system will remain on site indefinitely until these authorities advise that it is no longer needed.
Feedback
"This development would not have proceeded without the long term solution negotiated at length with the EPA. The hydraulic containment system designed and constructed by the Remediation Group is the key practical part of solution which must meet tough environmental standards for many years…"
Matthew Malseed, Director – Townhouse Division, Hamton Property Group
