24 February 2022

Please find attached a notification regarding the commencement of operations at the Bulla Spoil Processing Facility.

22 November 2021

From Tuesday, 23 November, night works will commence at the Bulla Spoil Processing Facility.

These works will run from 7pm until 6am Monday to Friday for approximately four weeks, with occasional Saturday shifts if required.

The night works will take place towards the back of the processing area away from Sunbury Road and will involve lining the first stage of the holding bays and laying crushed rock at the processing area.

While we have made every effort to avoid night works, the state-wide construction shut down and recent rain and wind events mean that we need to extend our working hours.

The works schedule has been developed in consultation with a noise engineer to minimise any impacts on nearby properties. We have several mitigation measures in place, including:

• Requiring all machinery to undergo noise testing before being approved to operate at night.
• Only using light vehicles and equipment during the night.
• Ensuring all work is undertaken within the site boundaries to avoid additional movements to and from the site.
• Installing mufflers and noise dampening measures on all equipment.
• Limiting additional lighting by using mobile light towers focused on the work area.
• Undertaking additional noise assessments during the first night of operations to test against predicted levels.

If you have questions or concerns about the works, please don’t hesitate to contact us by email at getintouch@hiqualitysunbury.com.au or by giving us a call on 03 9021 0678.

We apologise in advance for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience during this time.

12 November 2021

See here for a notification from Major Road Projects Victoria about upcoming works on Sunbury Road.

25 October 2021

Starting late October, a water treatment plant which has been under construction off-site, will begin to be delivered and installed at the Bulla Spoil Processing Facility.

The installation works include electrical, plumbing and mechanical works and are expected to take approximately eight weeks to complete. While these works are not expected to impact surrounding properties, information on the timing of the installation and any potential impacts are outlined below.

Once the plant is installed, testing will commence to ensure the plant is operating as designed. This will include leakage and pressure testing, as well as operating the plant using non-contaminated water to trial the process.

More information on the water treatment plant, including its design and treatment process, can be found in the attached construction fact sheet.

As advised in our last notification, major construction works commenced at the Bulla Spoil Processing Facility in late August. This includes works on the processing area, pre-treatment ponds and containment cell, as well as new weighbridges and wheel washes. These works are scheduled to be completed by the end of 2021.

Our work schedule

Weather permitting, the works will take approximately eight weeks to complete and will take place from 6am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday. We will let you know in advance if we need to do any work outside of these times.

How will this work affect you?

The water treatment plant will be installed in the valley of the site, near the Sunbury Eco-Hub site offices. Due to its location away from Sunbury Road, and the fact that there is no major construction involved, we expect there to be minimal impact on nearby properties.

You may see parts of the facility arriving onsite, however these movements will be limited and consistent with day-to-day site operations.

We are aware that there have been some concerns with dust in recent weeks as the site has been cleared and winds have been high. In response we have asked the construction teams to increase water suppression activities, pay close attention to weather conditions and make any necessary adjustments to work practices to limit impacts on the surrounding area.

Traffic impacts

The installation of the water treatment plant is expected to have minimal impact on traffic in the area.

COVID-19 safety

The Bulla Spoil Processing Facility is included under the State Critical Infrastructure list and continues to operate in-line with government guidelines. To ensure we keep our employees safe, we operate with an approved COVIDSafe workplace plan, including having an on-site COVID Marshal to ensure compliance. We also conduct daily rapid antigen testing for all Hi-Quality and Bulla Spoils employees and contractors.

28 August 2021

As may have seen, site preparation works commenced at the Bulla Spoil Processing Facility at 570 Sunbury Road in mid-July. These works are now nearing completion, including installing a fence and building a four-metre bund wall (barrier) along Sunbury Road to limit potential noise and visual impacts on the community. We have also completed land clearing and preparation for the processing area near the entrance to the site and the containment cell in the valley.

We are planning to begin major construction works on the processing facility from 28 August 2021. An overview of these works is provided below. While we expect there to be minimal impact on the community, we encourage you to contact us if you have any questions.

The upcoming works include:

• Earthworks, pavement development and drainage installation on the processing area along Sunbury Road. This will include building pre-treatment ponds – where the water will initially be drained from the soil before being taken to the water treatment plant – and paved areas (known as hardstand) for the construction of the first phase of the containment bays.
• Building the new containment cell, including earthworks such as land clearing and excavation, preparing and installing the cell liners, and drainage and leachate (liquid from the tunnel material) collection infrastructure.
• Building access infrastructure, offices and amenities, new weighbridges and wheel washes, and internal roads.

During these works, you may notice an increase in equipment arriving at, and working within, the site. The works will take place inside the boundary of the facility and will not directly impact road users.

The water treatment plant is currently under construction off-site and will be installed at the facility later this year. More information about the installation of the water treatment plant will be provided in future notifications.

Our work schedule

Weather permitting, works are planned to begin on August 28 and will take place from 6am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday. We will let you know in advance if we need to do any work outside of these times.

How will the work affect you?

We will make every effort to minimise potential impacts, including dust, noise and vibration from construction and machinery, and visual impacts. Given the location and type of work, with all works taking place within our site, we expect there will be minimal impact on nearby properties. To ensure this, we will be undertaking a range of activities to mitigate potential impacts including:

Dust

• Dust suppression, including watering of exposed areas.
• Stockpile protection to minimise dust and odour emissions.
• Scheduling dust-generating activities to avoid adverse weather conditions, such as wind days.
• Ongoing air quality monitoring.

Noise and vibration

• Construction of a screening barrier (bund wall) along Sunbury Road, Bulla to reduce potential noise and visibility impacts on nearby properties.
• Regular noise monitoring.

Visual

• Ensuring the operations are conducted in a clean and neat manner and conducting regular site checks to ensure high standards are maintained.

Traffic impacts

While we commence major works onsite, traffic impacts are expected to be minimal.

Please find below a map showing the location of the new facility and the key components of the major works.

12 July 2021

As advised in our project update of 25 June, from Monday 12 July we will be starting key establishment works for the Bulla Spoil Processing Facility. These works are summarised below, and while we expect there to be minimal impact, we encourage you to contact us if you have any questions.

The works include:

• Excavation, land clearing and building a barrier (bund wall) along Sunbury Road in Bulla, to limit potential impacts to surrounding properties
• Site establishment works, including temporary site fencing, site office, carpark and laydown areas
• Preparation for the containment cell in the valley area of the site, including relocation of some services within Hi-Quality Group’s current operations.

Our work schedule

Weather permitting, these works will begin next week and take approximately six weeks to complete. The work will take place from 6am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday. We will let you know in advance if we need to do any work outside of these times.

How will the work affect you?

We will make every effort to minimise potential impacts, including dust, noise and visibility from excavation and land clearing. Given the location and type of work, with all works taking place within our site, we expect there will be minimal impact on nearby properties. To ensure this, we will be undertaking a range of activities to mitigate potential impacts including:

Dust

• Dust suppression, including watering of exposed areas
• Stockpile protection to minimise dust and odour emissions
• Scheduling dust-generating activities to avoid adverse weather conditions, such as wind days
• Ongoing air quality monitoring.

Noise and visibility

• Construction of a screening barrier (bund wall) along Sunbury Road, Bulla to reduce potential noise and visibility impacts on nearby properties
• Regular noise monitoring
• Ensuring the operations are conducted in a clean and neat manner and conducting regular site checks to ensure high standards are maintained.

Traffic impacts

While we prepare the site, traffic impacts are expected to be minimal.

Please find attached an update regarding the Bulla Spoils Processing Facility.

1 March 2022

We have been out and about in the community over the last couple of months, most recently at Sunbury Square, to better understand the views of the community, provide information and respond to questions. One area of interest was what was happening with the construction of the facility, and when it will be ready to receive trucks. So, we thought we would share a new construction progress video so you can see for yourself.

Full commissioning of the water treatment plant was completed last week, and the builders are on schedule to complete the holding bays and containment cells in the next few weeks. The facility will be ready to commence operations from March 2022.

You can watch the construction update video here. You can also find a lot of information about the facility and the measures that are being taken to protect the community and the environment here.

We really appreciate the opportunity to listen and respond to questions when we are in the community. While we can’t be out and about all the time, you are welcome to get in touch with questions or concerns anytime by sending us an email to getintouch@hiqualitysunbury.com.au or giving us a call on the project phone line on 03 9021 0678. Please leave a message, we will get back to you as soon as we can.

25 June 2021

It was announced this morning Hi-Quality Bulla will be the preferred site to collect, treat and dispose of the material excavated by the tunnel boring machines on the West Gate Tunnel Project.

We will soon commence works to prepare the site to receive the material. This will include excavation, land clearing and building a barrier along Sunbury Road to limit any impacts to surrounding properties. Before starting the preparatory works, we will be in touch with adjoining landowners and the community more broadly with details of the works and to discuss any concerns.

Construction of the major works, including the processing area, water treatment plant and containment cell will take approximately six to seven months. We expect the first trucks from the tunnel will arrive once the major works are completed.

We understand there is a range of community concerns regarding the project and that today’s announcement will raise questions about what this means for the local community. Over the last few months, we have been holding an ongoing dialogue with community representatives to better understand and respond to these concerns.

As we have done at each major step in the process, in the coming days we will be contacting local residents, business owners and community groups to answer questions and discuss our plans for upcoming engagement activities. We will also be regularly updating the project website (www.hiqualityecohub.com.au), which contains a lot of information about the project, including fact sheets, Q&As and a video about how we will be managing the material from the tunnel.

If you would like further information, take a look at the FAQ and Information Sheet, providing further information about the announcement and answers to common questions.

As always, you can ask a question by clicking on ‘Talk to Us’ and see responses to many questions asked by the community over the last year or so on the ‘Questions and Answers’ tab.

You can also get in touch with us by sending an email to getintouch@hiqualitysunbury.com.au or calling the project phone line on 03 9021 0678. Please note that this is a message service, so please do leave a message and we will get back to you within one business day.

29 March 2021

Following the EPA’s recent approval of our Environmental Management Plan (EMP), Hi-Quality Group has now received approval from the Victorian Minister for Planning of our proposed Planning Scheme Amendment (PSA) under 20(5) of the Planning and Environment Act 1987.

This approval provides Hi-Quality with the required planning permissions to construct and operate a purpose-built facility to collect, treat, and safely dispose of the spoil excavated by the tunnel boring machines used on the West Gate Tunnel Project.

As the owners of approximately 1000 acres of land surrounding the facility, we would not be prepared to treat the soil if we were not confident that we could do so safely. We plan to be here for decades to come and are committed to our long-term plans to develop the site for industrial and commercial employment for the Sunbury and Bulla communities.

While the approval of our Environmental Management Plan and the Planning Scheme Amendment are important steps in the approval process, Hi-Quality will only construct the facility if it is awarded the contract by CPB John Holland, who are building the West Gate Tunnel Project. The competitive tender process for this is still underway.

Over the last few weeks, we have been speaking to local residents, business owners and community representatives to understand their concerns and answer questions. We acknowledge that the approval of the PSA will raise further questions and we will continue to be available to discuss what this means for the local community.

If you would like further information, take a look at the Planning Scheme Amendment information sheet and FAQs and the Impact Summary Assessment. To get in touch, our contact details are below, or you can ask a question by clicking on the ‘ask a question’ tab above.

5 March 2021

Hi-Quality Group has received approval on our resubmitted Environmental Management Plan (EMP) by the EPA. This plan was developed under the new regulations for the management and disposal of the soil excavated by the tunnel boring machines used on the West Gate Tunnel Project.

Hi-Quality Group was invited by the EPA to resubmit its Environmental Management Plan in December 2020 after all tenderers’ EMP approvals were revoked by the EPA.

Our Environmental Management Plan was developed with a commitment to upholding the highest environmental standards.

While this is an important step in the process, for the proposal to proceed, Hi-Quality Group also requires approval from the Minister for Planning of its Planning Scheme Amendment application, and the competitive tender process run by CPB John Holland for the contract is still underway.

We will continue to keep you informed about any decisions regarding these approvals. If you would like further information, our contact details are below, or you can ask a question by clicking on the ‘ask a question’ tab above.