FREE WEBINAR
What Lies Beneath:
What Developers Need to Know About Basements and Groundwater in NSW
PRESENTED BY
PRESENTED BY
About the event
As urban density increases across NSW, basements are becoming standard across projects of all scales – from boutique residential developments to large mixed-use projects. However, beneath many sites lies a critical and often underestimated risk: groundwater.
When groundwater intersects with basement design, projects can face unexpected approval delays, costly redesigns, additional licensing requirements and long-term waterproofing liabilities.
In this partner webinar with Dincel Structural Walling, we bring together practical hydrological, geotechnical and construction expertise to explore how developers, councils and consultants can proactively manage groundwater risk within the NSW Development Application (DA) process.
Details
Thursday, March 19, 2026
Virtual Event
9:30 am – 10:30 am AEST (BNE) | 10:30am – 11:30 pm AEDT (SYD)
Registration: FREE
What you'll learn
- New groundwater legislation and DA pathways in NSW
- When specific approvals and licensing are required
- Common regulatory triggers that cause approval delays
- How geotechnical reporting supports smoother council assessment
- Practical design and construction strategies to mitigate hydrostatic risk
- Lessons learned from real-world basement case studies
Who should attend
Property developers delivering projects
Local council planners and assessment officers
Project managers and development managers
Architects, planners and design consultants
Geotechnical, hydraulic and engineering consultants
Builders, sub-contractors and construction professionals
Financiers, investors and capital providers
Speakers
How to navigate design, planning, construction and certification risks relating to new groundwater legislation in New South Wales
Steve Darwell
Chief Operating Officer
Dincel Structural Walling
Steve Darwell has, for over 20 years, worked on the design, manufacture and supply of a range of building products. Over the last 12 years, he has specifically worked in the area of PVC permanent formwork. During that time, he has managed the two major businesses supplying PVC permanent formwork to the Australian market.
Critical to the supply of building products is a clear understanding of the legislation, codes and standards as they apply to this new innovative building methodology. Steve has devoted a significant amount of time to fully understand the complexities of the legislation as it applies to PVC permanent formwork. He is a qualified engineer and has, in his name, a number of world-wide patents for PVC permanent formwork products.
Lee Douglass
Director | Principal Hydrogeologist
Reditus Consulting
Lee has over 20 years experience and expert hydrogeologist, having worked on numerous bore water supply projects, dewatering and groundwater impact assessments for a diverse range of industry sectors. With a strong understanding of complex groundwater, contamination issues and remediation technologies, Lee has successfully delivered contamination assessment/remediation of large site portfolios and has acted as Expert Witness of landmark court cases in QLD, NSW and VIC.
General Admission
FREE
- Access to session recording
- Live audience Q&A opportunity
- Real-world project case studies
PRESENTING PARTNERS
