Environmental Assessment and Project Approvals
Umwelt has extensive environmental assessment experience across diverse industry sectors at Commonwealth, State and local levels. We have particular expertise in, and are highly respected for, our project management of complex multidisciplinary environmental assessments of major projects. We have successfully delivered approvals for numerous major projects including those with capital values greater than $500 million.We regularly work on high profile and sensitive projects and have a good track record of working with clients, government and community stakeholders to facilitate quality outcomes.
Our environmental assessment experience covers a wide range of project types including:
- mining and resource sector projects such as coal mining, metalliferous mining, mineral sand mining and quarrying, and associated processing and transportation facilities;
- infrastructure projects such as rail facilities, sewage treatment facilities, power generation and transmission, road construction and material handling facilities;
- renewable energy and sustainable waste management projects such as ethanol plants, biodiesel production and distribution, and development of compost for beneficial re-use;
- a wide range of other projects such as industrial and residential subdivisions, aquaculture and oyster lease remediation.
We also have sound working relationships with key specialist sub-consultants which allows us to deliver an effective integrated outcome.
We have provided expert evidence for a number of court hearings, appeals, Commissions of Inquiry and Panel Assessments for a wide range of projects.
We pride ourselves on our ability to tailor the assessment approach to meet the needs of the project (including client, authority and community needs) and to focus on addressing the key issues. Our approach includes the following key attributes:
- close attention to detail and accuracy on all aspects of project definition, project issues, client, agency and community liaison;
- outstanding project management skills, with the capacity to resolve difficult issues and deliver complex multidisciplinary projects on time and within budget;
- excellent understanding of the community, planning and regulatory context of diverse development types and of the practicalities of implementing the environmental management requirements arising from any development approval;
- strong in-house skills across a diverse range of environmental disciplines, including ecology, cultural heritage, historic heritage, water resource management, terrain and visual analysis and environmental planning, augmented by specialist technical studies completed by selected specialist sub-consultants as necessary;
- proven capacity to link environmental assessment and environmental management requirements and to provide comprehensive environmental services including strategic environmental advice, environmental assessment reports, management systems and plans, licences and permits, and compliance audits; and
- peer review of impact assessment reports. Apart from our own stringent internal peer review processes, Umwelt has been engaged to provide peer review of major environmental assessments prepared by other organisations. Our recent experience includes peer review of environmental assessment and management reports for major resource development projects, major road construction projects, ecological, archaeological, heritage and water resource management studies.