Trusted Contaminated Land Management Plans

What Is a Contaminated Land Environmental Management Plan?

A Contaminated Land Environmental Management Plan (EMP or CLMP) defines how contamination risks at a site will be safely managed during development, remediation or ongoing land use. It provides a structured, risk-based framework to control environmental and human health risks associated with contaminated land, forming a key component of the broader contaminated land assessment and management process.

Contaminated land EMPs are commonly required to:

• Support Development Applications (DA) and Construction Certificates (CC)

• Satisfy planning consent, remediation or environmental approval conditions

• Comply with the NSW Contaminated Land Management Act 1997 and SEPP 2021

• Address NSW EPA, council or consultant recommendations

• Demonstrate alignment with the National Environment Protection (Assessment of Site Contamination) Measure (ASC NEPM, 2013)

A well-prepared EMP demonstrates how site risks will be controlled protecting human health, ensuring regulatory compliance and enabling safe development or land use.

When Do You Need a Contaminated Land EMP?

A contaminated land EMP is typically required where contamination risk must be actively managed during site works or ongoing use, including:

• Subdivision or change-of-use on historically industrial or agricultural land

• Sites with known or suspected contamination identified through Preliminary Site Investigation (PSI) or Detailed Site Investigation (DSI)

• Disturbance of contaminated soil, groundwater or vapour during construction or remediation

• EPA-regulated sites or notices issued under the CLM Act

• Council-imposed environmental or remediation conditions of consent

If your project requires environmental approval, remediation or development clearance, a contaminated land EMP is often necessary to demonstrate how risks will be managed.

Our Contaminated Land EMP Services

We prepare technically robust, regulator-ready Environmental Management Plans tailored to site conditions, contamination type and project requirements. Our EMPs are practical, implementable and aligned with real-world construction and remediation environments.

Typical EMP components include:

• Site characterisation and contamination summary based on prior investigation data

• Identification of exposure pathways within the Conceptual Site Model

• Controls for managing impacted soil, groundwater and vapours

• Excavation, stockpiling, segregation and off-site disposal procedures aligned with <a href="/waste-management-and-resource-recovery/waste-classification">waste classification</a> requirements

• Site access restrictions, exclusion zones, signage and PPE requirements

• Validation and contingency procedures aligned with remediation and validation processes

• Roles, responsibilities and contractor obligations

• Monitoring, reporting and record-keeping requirements

Plans are tailored for both short-term construction/remediation and long-term site management where residual contamination remains.

Regulatory Alignment and Technical Framework

Our contaminated land EMPs are prepared in accordance with:

• National Environment Protection (Assessment of Site Contamination) Measure (ASC NEPM, 2013)

• NSW EPA Contaminated Land Guidelines

• NSW Contaminated Land Management Act 1997

• State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP) 2021

• Development consent and site auditor requirements

This ensures plans are technically defensible and suitable for submission to councils, regulators and accredited site auditors.

What Makes an Effective Contaminated Land EMP?

High-quality EMPs are site-specific, risk-based and implementable. Key characteristics include:

• Clear understanding of contamination sources, pathways and receptors

• Practical control measures aligned with real site conditions

• Integration with remediation and validation frameworks

• Defined monitoring and compliance verification

• Structured implementation and responsibilities

• Documentation suitable for regulator and auditor review

A strong EMP ensures environmental risks remain controlled throughout development, remediation and ongoing site use.

Who We Work With

We support:

• Developers and subdivision planners

• Builders, civil contractors and environmental consultants

• Accredited site auditors and remediation specialists

• Local councils and planning authorities

• Commercial landowners and asset managers

We are commonly engaged early to support approvals, or later to resolve compliance gaps during construction or remediation.

Why Regulators Accept Our EMPs

• Prepared by contaminated land specialists with strong NEPM and EPA framework experience

• Risk-based, technically defensible and aligned with site conditions

• Structured for practical implementation, not theoretical compliance

• Clear, regulator-ready documentation suitable for councils and site auditors

• Integrated with investigation, remediation and validation processes

Our focus is delivering practical environmental risk management that supports approvals and keeps projects moving.

Where We Operate

We provide contaminated land Environmental Management Plans across:

• Greater Sydney and the Blue Mountains

• Central Coast, Newcastle and the Hunter Valley

• Mid North Coast and regional NSW

Need an EMP for Your Project?

If your project requires a contaminated land management plan for development approval, remediation or compliance, we can confirm requirements and prepare regulator-ready documentation aligned with your site conditions and planning framework.