The Newcastle region, including Wanless’s new Hexham industrial site, was one of the heavy industrial centres that made Australia what it is today. Steel and aluminium production, railway manufacture and coal mining together with dozens of other industries resulted in rapid development.
Former low-lying swamps around Newcastle were filled from the 1940s to create suitable land for these industries, including the land at Hexham; over time, the Hunter River suburb played host to a refractory brick manufacturing facility and a scrap metal yard.
Fast forward 80 years, and society’s understanding of environmental factors has developed significantly. Groundwater modelling, soil contamination and future-proofing our environment is more clearly understood.
Resource Environmental Solutions (a subsidiary of Wanless Waste Management) has recently lodged an application to Newcastle Council after lengthy research of a 8.7 hectare site on Sparke Street in Hexham purchased in 2018. The application outlines a proposed capping of historically filled areas, and construction of a new industrial warehouse and hardstand on part of the site.
Working cooperatively with the Environment Protection Authority and Newcastle Council, Wanless Waste Management hopes to transform this degraded site into an area that both protects the environment and provides employment for the region.