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Environmental Review
Overview
Digital 4 / BAI Communications (BAI Communications) proposes to deliver a residential housing estate (Residential Development Area) on Lot 802, Erindale Road, Hamersley and establish a Conservation Area over portions of the adjacent Lot 803 and Lot 1 Wanneroo Road, Hamersley.
The figure below identifies these land parcels and defines the Residential Development Area and Conservation Area. This is collectively referred to as the Hamersley Project.
Environmental Referral Documents
The Hamersley Project was referred to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) in 2020. The EPA noted the potential impact on “Flora and Vegetation and Terrestrial Fauna from the clearing” and required Environmental Referral Documents (ERDs) to be prepared to determine the extent of the Project’s direct and indirect impacts, and how the environmental issues could be managed.
These ERDs have been prepared over several years. The final updates were prepared by Emerge Associates, on behalf of BAI Communications, and submitted to the EPA in June 2025.
They describe the proposal, examine likely environmental effects and the proposed environmental management initiatives associated with the Project.
Public Review
On 26 November 2025, the EPA Advised that the updated ERDs are now approved for release for public review and that the review period is for 2-weeks, commencing on 3 December 2025 and closing on 17 December 2025.
Public submissions are to be received by the EPA by 17 December 2025.
Generally, submissions should be made through the EPA consultation portal: consultation.epa.wa.gov.au.
Alternatively, submissions can be posted to:
Chair
Environmental Protection Authority
Locked Bag 10
Joondalup DC WA 6919.
Or delivered to:
Environmental Protection Authority
Prime House
8 Davidson Terrace
Joondalup WA 6027.
If you have any questions on how to make a submission, please contact EPA Services of the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation on 6364 7000.
At the end of this public review, BAI Communications will be required to respond to matters raised in submissions. Once the EPA is satisfied that the responses to submissions is adequate, it will complete its report and recommendations on the Hamersley Project.
Links
The ERD documents are listed below and can be found using the following web links:
https://www.epa.wa.gov.au/proposals/lots-802-and-part-803-erindale-road-hamersley
https://consultation.epa.wa.gov.au/
- EPA Notice Requiring Information for Assessment (July 2020)
- Indicative Concept Plan
- Proposal Content Document (Emerge 2025)
- Community Consultation Report
- Detailed Flora & Vegetation Survey (Emerge 2025)
- Black Cockatoo & Banksia Woodland TEC Habitat Quality Score Assessment (Emerge 2025)
- Risk Assessment
- Construction & Environmental Management Plan (Emerge 2025)
- Basic Fauna and Targeted Black Cockatoo Habitat Assessment (Emerge 2025)
- Short Range Endemic Desktop Assessment (Bennelongia Assessment Consultants 2021)
- Short Range Endemic Desktop Assessment (Bennelongia Assessment Consultants 2023)
- Offset Strategy (Emerge 2025)
- Conservation Area Management Plan (Emerge 2025)
About the Hamersley Project
Proposed Residential Development Area
The Hamersley Project proposes Residential Development Area on Lot 802. This will include roads, public open space, service infrastructure (water, sewer, gas, communications), and the construction of homes.
Although all housing will be on Lot 802, a 22-metre-wide strip of land on the adjoining Lot 803, running parallel to the shared boundary with Lot 802, has been designated as an Asset Protection Zone (APZ). This area will be retained as cleared parkland, with tree canopy reduced to 15%, to help reduce bushfire risk between the Residential Development Area and the Conservation Area.
Planning and urban design for the Residential Development Area have not yet been undertaken. The ERDs include a preliminary Concept Plan for illustration purposes only, and it has no formal status. It is likely to change. While the EPA is assessing the impact of clearing Lot 802, some native bushland and significant trees are to be retained and integrated into the residential development in proposed public open space and road reserves, as demonstrated in the photographs below. The extent of vegetation retention within in the Residential Development Area is to be determined in later planning stages of the project.
Proposed Conservation Area
BAI Communications now proposes a 19.66 ha Conservation Area covering the remaining native flora and vegetation on Lot 803 and Lot 1. This did not form part of the initial project referred to the EPA in 2020. This Conservation Area will coexist with the existing broadcast infrastructure, which will remain operational in the short to medium term.
The ecological values of the Conservation Area will be protected and restored through a conservation covenant and a Conservation Area Management Plan (CAMP), included in the ERDs. The CAMP includes restoration measures such as revegetating degraded areas within the Conservation Area.
BAI Communications has committed to surrendering the Conservation Area to the State, when its use for broadcasting purposes ceases, in the long term, guaranteeing on-going conservation outcomes in perpetuity.
In addition to the Conservation Area, the ERDs include an Offset Strategy to address residual impacts of the proposed Residential Development Area and includes the full restoration of degraded areas on a number of proposed offsets sites in the Perth metropolitan area and may include sites within the City of Stirling.
About the Site
The Hamersley Project site is bounded by: Wanneroo Road to the East; Lennox Place and Blissett Way to the North; Erindale Road to the West; and residential properties and a portion of the Reid Highway / Erindale Road – road reserve to the south. It is in the City of Stirling.
The site has historically been used as a broadcasting facility and currently contains operational broadcasting infrastructure, including an administration building, an 180-metre transmission mast, and a network of underground copper earth wires that support transmission operations.
In 2009, the State Government, through Main Roads WA, acquired Lot 800 at the corner of Erindale Road and Reid Highway for a grade-separated intersection upgrade. Construction of this intersection upgrade is expected to begin in 2028/29.
The Western portion of the site is no longer needed for broadcasting. In 2018, the Western Australian Planning Commission approved subdivision of this area into a separate lot, creating Lot 802. The remainder of the original site comprises Lot 803 and Lot 1.
About BAI Communications
BAI Communications is a national provider of radio, television, and telecommunications services that delivers innovative connectivity solutions to broadcasters, governments, mobile network operators, enterprises, transport operators, and venues across Australia’s most critical communication challenges.
We operate one of the world’s most extensive broadcast networks, delivering fully managed television and radio services to 99% of the Australian population. During crises such as natural disasters, national broadcasters depend on BAI to maintain vital communications, while emergency services trust us to keep them connected and informed.
A portion of the site currently includes key broadcasting infrastructure such as an administration building, an 180-metre transmission mast, and a network of underground copper earth wires that support transmission operations. For decades, this facility has played a vital role in Perth’s communications network.
Following a review of its operational needs, BAI Communications identified that part of the site was no longer required for broadcasting purposes.
The Hamersley project proposes to use Lot 802 for residential development, while the remaining land will be protected for bushland conservation and continue to support broadcasting operations.
