OLAM International, formerly Queensland Cotton Ltd, engaged Mitchel Hanlon Consulting in 2011 to project manage site selection to development consent for an integrated road-rail bulk grain commodities terminal near Narrabri. The criteria were exact and many visited sites failed to meet the requirements.

After assessing many sites around the Narrabri district, a final site at Baan Baa was selected and a planning submission and development application lodged with Narrabri Shire Council.

The site incorporated a rail loop, road access and weigh bridge, grain bunker storage, and rail load-out silos.  The site layout constraints included:

• site access (road and rail)
• riparian corridor
• neighbouring residences
• vegetated areas
• drainage lines
• railway design criteria

We provided client advocacy services to Narrabri Shire Council, the Australian Rail Track Corporation, Crown Lands and the Northern Region Joint Regional Planning Panel.

The development was finally approved by the Regional Planning Panel in 2013.