A Green Light for Growth: Unlocking the Wyong Employment Zone

Aerial view of a suburban area with a race course

After three years and nine months of persistence, collaboration and problem-solving, Barker Ryan Stewart is pleased to announce that the Development Application DA/886/2022 for 157 & 163 Sparks Road, Halloran, has been approved. While the approval itself is a major milestone, its significance reaches far beyond a single development site. This consent delivers the critical piece of infrastructure needed to unlock the Wyong Employment Zone (WEZ). Being the construction of a signalised intersection at the corner of Sparks Road and Mountain Road.

The intersection that changes everything 

As discussed previously in At a Crossroad: Unlocking the Wyong Employment Zone, access has long been the key constraint holding back the WEZ.

The lack of an upgraded, signalised intersection meant the remainder of the Employment Zone was preventing the engagement of further development of the area. Fortunately, this DA approval resolves that long-standing barrier to the progression of WEZ development.

The approval works include:

  • A fully signalised intersection at Sparks Road and Mountain Road
  • Road widening and associated civil works
  • Infrastructure upgrades to support future employment uses across the WEZ

This intersection is not just an access point for a singular site, it is instead a gateway that enables the entire Employment Zone to function as intended.

Moreover, the approved DA allows for:

  • 17 industrial units
  • A future service centre (to be the subject of a separate approval)
  • Supporting civil works, landscaping and servicing
  • Extensive environmental and biodiversity management measures

Persistence pays off 

This application has been a long and complex journey, involving detailed traffic, environmental and infrastructure assessments, close coordination with Central Coast Council and Transport for NSW, and multiple revisions to address technical, environmental and access constraints

The approval demonstrates what can be achieved through perseverance, evidence-based planning and a commitment to achieving outcomes that work at both a site-specific and strategic level.

 

Enabling jobs and economic growth 

The Wyong Employment Zone plays a critical role in the Central Coast’s economic future. By unlocking access to the WEZ, this approval:

  • Enables future industrial and employment development
  • Supports job creation close to where people live
  • Delivers infrastructure that benefits the wider precinct, not just a single development

It is an example of how the planning system, when navigated effectively, can deliver long-term economic and community outcomes.

 

Project Team

The project team included:

  • Planning – BRS
  • Civil Engineering – BRS
  • Traffic Engineering – BRS
  • Surveying – BRS
  • Sewer Servicing Strategy – BRS
  • Ecology – Wedgetail
  • Flood Study – ACOR
  • Architecture – AArqm
  • Landscape Architecture – Conus Landscape Architecture
  • Arborist – Urban Arbor
  • Archaeology – Heritage Now
  • Legal Services – Colin Biggers & Paisley and Justin Doyle

Looking ahead 

With the DA now approved, attention turns to delivery, where progressing the intersection works and setting the foundations for the next stage of development across the Wyong Employment Zone.

For BRS, this project reinforces our role as trusted advisors on complex, infrastructure-led developments and our commitment to seeing challenging projects through to approval.

After nearly four years, the green light is finally on, and the Wyong Employment Zone is ready to move forward.

A Day in the Life of a Director at BRS: Glenn Jameson

Aerial view of landscape
Headshot of Glenn Jameson

In this spin-off of our ‘day in the life’ blog series, we sat down with the Directors behind BRS to chat about their careers to date, from the milestones that have brought them the most pride to the valuable lessons they’ve learned along the way. This month, we were joined by Glenn Jameson to discuss his role as a Director.

What is your profession, and what do you love about what you do?

I am a Civil Engineer with a background in the areas of water quality modelling and hydraulic/hydrological processes, and have always enjoyed solving problems.  I started my career as a Water resource Engineer before changing jobs and working in a land development consultancy, where I initially worked on major trunk drainage systems and flood modelling.

Initially, my passion was water-based analysis projects, but I have found over time that I now enjoy working on multifaceted problems, trying to come up with solutions that are the best fits for issues that have numerous competing objectives.

What are you most proud of / what stands out for you as a major milestone of the company?

The thing I am most proud of is being part of a company that has grown from its modest beginnings to where it is now.  When I started working with the company, it had a design team of two people who undertook relatively small design projects.  Having a background in larger projects allowed the company to take on larger opportunities when they arose and helped the company become the multi-faceted engineering group it is.

The standout milestones for me are the growth that BRS has seen from the acquisition of PCB and NRLS in the Newcastle and Northern Rivers regions.  These companies have allowed BRS to grow all the services it provides, allowing it to spread its reach into areas outside of the Sydney market and incorporate valuable employees into its workforce.

Where do you feel the industry is headed? What are some of the challenges you’re preparing BRS to face?

Over my career, I have seen the supply of good flat developable land slowly dry up, while legislation protecting the environment and the safety of the community being tightened.  This has and will continue to mean that development occurs on more challenging sites, requiring a greater amount of engineering expertise.  I see that this will continue into the future.

AI will impact the way we undertake and assess engineering designs in a significant manner.  How it will do so is yet to be fully understood, but the one thing we need to do is to stay at the forefront of this change and look for ways to adopt the new technology.

If you could offer yourself a piece of advice as you were just starting your career, what would it be and why?

I would provide two pieces of advice:

Firstly, ensure you work for a company that provides a wide variety of work and projects, and

Secondly, work with people (and clients) whom you enjoy working with.