Kempt Field remediation

About the project

The Waste Assets Management Corporation (WAMC) within Property and Development NSW (PDNSW), in collaboration with the Planning Ministerial Corporation (PMC), is leading the remediation of Kempt Field, Allawah in Sydney’s southern suburbs.

The $11.8 million remediation project will address longstanding subsidence and buried waste issues at the 3.17-hectare public reserve which was formerly a privately-owned waste landfill site until 1978.

The NSW Government owns Kempt Field, which is under the care, control and management of Georges River Council.

Sections of Kempt Field were progressively closed from early 2022 to 2023 after geotechnical investigations revealed subsidence and contamination issues linked to the landfill underlying the site.

Further investigations were undertaken at the site in mid-March 2024 and these findings will inform a remediation action plan which will outline the scope of works and any ongoing management requirements.

Once the remediation work is completed, Kempt Field reserve will be fully restored for public recreation use.

Background

A brick quarry operated on the land, bounded by Roberts Lane, Durham Street and the rail line, from the early 1900s to 1957 before the site was used for landfill activities for 20 years.

Following closure of the landfill in 1978, about half of the site was transferred to NSW Government ownership and placed under the care, control and management of Georges River Council for public recreation.

The other half of the landfill site remained in private hands and has now been redeveloped for high-density residential use.