Extraordinary times

Let’s face it, none of us has lived through a similar series of events such as we are now. Rule books and proforma solutions are being cast aside as the scale and speed of this health, and economic crisis hits home.

Nationally, APP has mobilised our local resources to continue to service our clients through assisting them in pivoting their businesses in the face of the current challenges, just as we’re pivoting ourselves.

We’re all in unchartered territory but what you may find of immediate value is:

Property Assets

• We have been talking with a number of our clients who are landlords with large, secure sites with ready access to utilities to support temporary facilities as required.
• We are also developing a response for a range of different facilities to assist with their viral mitigation strategies.

 

Logistics Support

• We’re offering a full range of planning and modelling services to businesses for which logistics (transport, storage, volume management, distribution management) is not their core business but has now become a major activity, including:
  • Capacity modelling
  • Transport mapping
  • Warehouse operations
• We’re also looking beyond the immediate crisis to recovery and how to protect the capacity of your supply chains to withstand fluctuations within the market.

 

Distressed Project Recovery

• We are in touch with financiers, legal advisors and developers with respect to distressed projects to renegotiate for extension of time, or provide dispute resolution expertise, or present different options to mitigate impacts to a project as a result of changes in circumstances from the current crisis.

 

Geographic impacts

• We are working with clients who have found their cross-border operations compromised by providing ongoing operational support through our national geographic reach.

 

Planning Considerations

A significant response has been announced by the State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure Planning. The State legislation has been amended to:

• Allow the Minister to decide when an essential business or use, for example supermarkets, should be able to operate and restock 24 hours per day, seven days a week, during an event such as the COVID-19 public health emergency, or other future disasters.
• Provide the opportunity for any person to seek relief from existing development application conditions or other operating constraints through a simple application to the State for a temporary use licence made to the State.
• Introduce flexibility for the Minister to suspend or extend any of the statutory timeframes across the planning framework.

 

The new provisions provide for business continuity and supply by removing planning constraints which could be limiting the operation and delivery of essential services. The amendments also ensure the development assessment, plan-making, and other statutory timeframes under the Planning Act.

Our diversity, depth of skills, geographic reach and financial resilience means we can provide support as the entire country navigates challenges ahead. The business has assisted governments and private clients in a range of disaster situations in the past and is well placed to mobilise as required.

The team in Queensland are available if you need some help or support. Let’s explore if there’s an extra-ordinary APP solution for these extra-ordinary times? If we can’t help you ourselves, we can likely point you in the right direction or facilitate an introduction.

For more information on how APP can help navigate BNE Enterprise members through this COVID-19 crisis, please call +61 7 3238 0400 or visit www.app.com.au

Disclaimer: The purpose of this communication is to provide some useful resources and general information only. BNE Enterprise does not provide financial or professional advice in relation to any of the above matters.