Camellia is one of Sydney’s most industrial suburbs. The 2021 Census recorded zero residential population. No shops, no schools, no community facilities. The land is bounded by the Parramatta River to the north, Clay Cliff Creek to the west, the Duck River to the east and Grand Avenue to the south. Around 17 km west of Sydney CBD and 2 km east of Parramatta.

Here is what commercial demolition and strip outs look like in Camellia, NSW. Shell operated Australia’s first oil refinery on the Parramatta River from 1928 to 2012, with progressive decommissioning of tanks and process infrastructure under way. A James Hardie asbestos cement plant operated adjacent to the suburb and is part of the NSW EPA’s largest known asbestos-disposal regulation project. From 2007 the EPA identified 47 potential asbestos disposal sites across Western Sydney linked to Hardie operations. Twenty-seven required formal inspection and assessment. Several sit in and around the Parramatta LGA.

The Camellia-Rosehill Place Strategy was finalised by the NSW Department of Planning in November 2022. It paves the way for up to 10,000 new homes and 15,400 jobs across the precinct over a 20-year horizon. A heavy industrial employment core is retained. A new town centre is anchored to the Camellia light rail stop. Rezoning will follow the strategy. Almost every redevelopment site requires structural demolition plus licensed hazardous-materials removal before any new build can start. Class A asbestos handling is a baseline for the precinct.