When managed well, brownfield development revitalises underutilised or contaminated land and fosters sustainable, efficient urban growth.
Brownfield development involves repurposing underutilised and often contaminated land for new construction, while revitalising and optimising existing urban spaces.
Despite its benefits, challenges such as environmental concerns, existing infrastructure integration, and regulatory hurdles can make brownfield development disconcertingly complex for developers.
Success hinges on innovative environmental and engineering design solutions that can transform these sites into valuable community assets
Our approach to brownfield development
Fyfe brings extensive experience in brownfield and in-fill development and with it, specialised solutions that are tailored to debunk the uncertainty and maximise yield.
Our strengths in various disciplines — including environmental management, surveying, engineering design, service locating and regulatory compliance — means we are well placed to meet the demands of complex development in challenging conditions.
Working across multiple sectors and project types, be it residential, commercial or recreation, we enable efficient and sustainable development while addressing the challenges inherent to brownfield sites:
- Contamination – many brownfield sites have soil and groundwater contamination from past industrial or commercial activities, requiring cleanup, tailored remediation techniques and a bulk earthworks strategy that compliments these conditions.
- Unknowns – the history of brownfield sites can lead to uncertainties around hidden hazards, underground utilities, and geotechnical integrity, often complicating planned development.
- Design and engineering – existing structures, infrastructure and in-ground services may not align with or simply not meet modern development needs, requiring a bespoke design response to unlock the true potential of a site.
- Regulatory complexity – brownfield redevelopment often involves navigating onerous environmental regulations and permitting processes.
- Community concerns – communities might have concerns associated with the environmental and health impacts of re-developing ‘dirty’ sites, requiring detailed engagement and collaboration with all stakeholders.
The best way to manage the challenges and uncertainties of brownfield development is to work with a team that fully understands these sites and can offer a multidisciplinary approach.
An integrated approach to project success
Fyfe provides comprehensive services including civil engineering, surveying, service locating, planning, and environmental management all under one roof, allowing for a unique and integrated approach that saves time and cost.
The first step in any brownfield development is working to understand all site-specific factors and constraints. Once our survey and environmental teams accurately represent existing conditions and infrastructure, we can then leverage our engineering expertise to provide tailored design responses that maximise yield without compromising the project’s final outcome.
The expertise offered by our civil engineering and environmental teams allows us to deliver water-sensitive urban design, even in the most challenging brownfield sites. Our planning experts can also help expedite the regulatory process, securing the essential development approvals faster.
We provide practical solutions that identify and mitigate potential challenges early on, reducing our clients’ costs over the project’s lifespan.
Unlike greenfield development, brownfield development presents a host of additional challenges. These are best handled by a team who can take the project from the initial assessment stage through to detailed design and completion.
To talk to a member of our team about our brownfield service offerings, please get in touch.
