Coffey plays key role in the development of new Macquarie University Hospital
Source: Coffey - www.coffey.com.au
03 June 2010
Coffey International Limited subsidiary Coffey Environments has played a key role to ensure the new Macquarie University Hospital in Sydney is compliant with the development consent requirements of New South Wales’ Department of Planning and the Environmental Protection Authority (“EPA”).
The A$200+ million facility is on track to open mid-2010 and become the first private hospital in Australia located on a university campus. The hospital will integrate clinical care, teaching and research and offer world-class medical facilities, specialised patient care and outstanding teaching and learning opportunities for staff and students undertaking specialty training at the co-located Australian School of Advanced Medicine.
On behalf of client Baulderstone, which has been responsible for the construction and fit-out of the hospital, Coffey Environments conducted an independent audit of contamination investigations, remediation and validation works undertaken by environmental consultants.
Tony Scott, an accredited site auditor in New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia, and senior principal at Coffey Environments, said: “Audits are commonly carried out on sites being redeveloped for industrial, commercial or residential uses. While it is always great to see degraded land put to a better use, it was particularly satisfying completing this audit because the hospital facility will improve the lives of local communities.”
The Macquarie University Hospital will establish a new era in health care, combining excellence in clinical care, medical education and research. The new facility will comprise:
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183 beds
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12 operating theatres
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Radiology speciality clinic
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Pathology speciality clinic
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Radiotherapy speciality clinic
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Radiosurgery speciality clinic
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Specialist consulting suites in neurosurgery, cardiology, vascular surgery, ophthalmology, orthopaedics, general surgery, and neurology and oncology services.
The completion of a Site Audit Report and Site Audit Statement by Coffey Environments certified the site as suitable for the proposed hospital development. The audit results have allowed Baulderstone to proceed with the fit-out works to enable the hospital to open on schedule.
EPA audit schemes are run in most Australian states and becoming an accredited auditor requires a high degree of technical skills and experience. On average, only a few new auditors are admitted in each state every few years. Currently, there are a total of approximately 70 auditors in Australia and Coffey Environments has one of the largest groups of EPA auditors in its team of specialists.
Coffey Environments delivers environmental, social and safety performance professional services with over 500 staff worldwide. Its contaminated land practice, which is 40 per cent of the business, has been operating for more than 20 years in Australia and has one of the largest groups of accredited contaminated land site auditors. This includes site auditors in all four states with formal accreditation schemes: New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and Western Australia. Coffey Environments site auditors have undertaken many hundreds of audits around Australia since the initial introduction of independent auditing 20 years ago.