KLM was engaged to transform a disused car park into a fully functional warehouse and office space, with the objective of maximising site coverage and usability. On paper, the scope appeared relatively straightforward. However, the project quickly evolved into a complex undertaking requiring close collaboration across our Surveying, Town Planning, Building Design, and Landscape Design teams.
One of the initial challenges stemmed from an existing planning permit, which granted the neighbouring (now-defunct) café rights to use the car park. This created uncertainty around whether development could even proceed. In addition, Aboriginal Cultural Heritage concerns necessitated investigation into the site’s historical significance, while a boundary-hugging electrical kiosk added to the site constraints.
Despite these obstacles, KLM successfully secured a planning permit for the proposed warehouse and office, including compliant on-site car parking. To address the cultural heritage requirements, an archaeologist was engaged, and it was confirmed that the site’s extensive disturbance history meant a Cultural Heritage Management Plan (CHMP) was not required. With this green light, we progressed to preparing detailed construction documentation and liaising with all necessary consultants to obtain the building permit.
However, once construction commenced, the project took another unexpected turn. During excavation, the builder uncovered an illegal sewer pipe running through the site—installed without easement or approval by a former owner of the neighbouring property. It was also discovered that a fire service line had been routed in a similar fashion. Despite KLM’s efforts to retrieve all official records during the design phase, these unauthorised connections had never been formally documented. The neighbour declined to contribute to the rectification costs, leaving our client to absorb the full expense of rerouting the services.
In the end, the project was successfully delivered, overcoming every regulatory and structural hurdle along the way. The completed building has since been leased at a rate exceeding the client’s expectations, and legal proceedings are now underway to recover the unforeseen service relocation costs.
What began as a simple warehouse redevelopment became a case study in resilience, teamwork, and the value of thorough due diligence. This project highlights KLM’s ability to manage layered challenges with professionalism and persistence—delivering quality outcomes even when the path forward is anything but predictable.
