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Much of our practice is directed at securing planning and environmental approvals for major projects across a wide range of industry sectors including resources, energy and infrastructure, projects, retail, commercial, residential and industrial property development.
Our work generally covers advising on development approval strategies; securing development approvals and construction certificates and defending and/or modifying developments already approved.
Another major area of our practice involves environmental approval processes securing project proponents 'environmental licence to operate', as well as dangerous goods licences and waste disposal licences.
Acted for Walker Corporation in its redevelopment of waterfront land at Rhodes, NSW. The development is an estimated A$800 million project which involved a paint factory site being remediated and redeveloped to a mixed-use, high-rise, shopping centre, residential and commercial village.
Advised Port of Melbourne Channel Deepening, one of the largest infrastructure projects conducted by the Victorian Government in recent times, seen as critical to the Port and Australia's position in global shipping. As key advisers to the Port of Melbourne Corporation, we advised on many aspects of the project, including the Supplementary Environmental Effects Statement and managed the public hearing process Federal Court litigation over the Federal Government's environmental approval for the dredging, cultural and Aboriginal heritage issues, relocation of essential infrastructure under the Yarra River, the resolution of the alliance dredging contract, and land tenure issues relating to land assets affected by the project.
Advised Xstrata Coal Australia on the environment, planning and mining issues associated with all of its coal mining operations in NSW.
Advised Westfield Group on a wide range of planning matters in New South Wales (purchase and development of three major CBD retail sites in Sydney, including Centrepoint) and Queensland (development approvals for a new regional centre at Coomera and major expansion at North Lakes Centre, Chermside and Garden City regional shopping centres).
The cornerstone of the Brisbane Airport Corporation's infrastructure program for Australia's third-busiest airport is a new Parallel Runway, expected to be completed by 2020. The new runway will be 3.3km long, 60m wide and will have over 12km of taxiways, navigational aids and other airfield infrastructure. This is a multidisciplinary engineering project that requires a variety of technical and construction skills to complete. As the new runway will be built on what is currently swamp land, dredging and ground treatment work is required before construction of the runway can begin.
Minter Ellison is currently supporting BAC with the development and implementation of a procurement strategy for Stage 1 of the proposed A$1.3 billion runway.
Acting for a wholly owned subsidiary of Australand Holdings Ltd on the A$800 million Discovery Point development at Wolli Creek in New South Wales. This 8-hectare mixed use development will feature residential apartments, commercial offices, an integrated retail centre and extensive public and private parklands. We are advising on procurement and OH&S strategies, drafting pro-forma and project specific documentation (such as consultancy agreements and design and construct contracts), assisting in the preparation of the tender conditions, advising on the tendering process and compiling documentation for tender.
Minter Ellison advised Lend Lease in obtaining approval for a major extension of the Sunshine Plaza regional shopping centre, valued at $400 million. We are also advising Lend Lease on the integrity of the Cairns Planning Scheme in planning litigation challenging the role of the Cairns Central Shopping Centre.
Acting for Port Waratah Coal Services Limited (a privately owned facility, the largest shareholder of which is Rio Tinto Coal Australia Limited) in the redevelopment and expansion of the Kooragang Coal Terminal and the Carrington Coal Terminal in the Port of Newcastle.