The City of Greater Bendigo and a farming family are in a deadlock over a parcel of land considered vital to the development of Marong Business Park.
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The city confirmed it made a recent offer to buy the Carter family’s plot of land west of the city, which was rejected.
Director of strategy and growth Bernie O’Sullivan said the Carter family was under no obligation to respond or negotiate, but maintained the council was sincere in its desire to acquire the land, preferably voluntarily, at proper value.
Related: Business park fight erupts
The state government in August rezoned more than 300 hectares of land along the Calder Highway, handing over responsibility of the proposed precinct to the City of Greater Bendigo.
Speaking on behalf of the Carter family, Tamrie Carter reiterated the land near Yorkshire Road was not for sale.
“Putting money in front of us is not going to change our opinion,” she said.
“We’re not going to sell at the drop of a hat.”
The land, currently used to grow crops and run sheep, has been owned by the family for more than 80 years.
“Hopefully we'll just continue farming for as long as we wish to, which hopefully is going to be for generations to come,” Ms Carter said.
Mr O’Sullivan said, given the strategic importance of the site, the council may seek to apply a public acquisition overlay on the land, paving the way for compulsory acquisition.
The overlay must be approved by the state government planning minister.
Bendigo council has until the end of June 2018 to apply for the public acquisition overlay, which appears likely given the family’s stance.
“It’s not going to happen voluntarily,” Ms Carter said.
The Carter family owns the majority of the 300 hectares of rezoned land.
No precedent has been set by the city with land acquisition.
Small sections of land have been purchased for public infrastructure like widening roads and creating roundabouts, but nothing of the scale proposed.
The proposed business park, which the council believes will create 3000 jobs, is estimated to cost around $25 million for the first stage of construction, which would deliver approximately 30 lots of different sizes.
Mr O’Sullivan said given the significant cost to provide services at the site, the council would look to the state and federal governments to help plan and fund the project.
“Unconstrained, zoned industrial land is in short supply in Bendigo. To remain a viable location for businesses requiring large areas of land for manufacturing, warehousing and storage, adequately serviced and suitable land needs to be made available in the coming years,” he said.
“Existing and new businesses need to be able to plan for growth if Greater Bendigo is to remain an attractive location for businesses to expand and relocate and therefore maintain and create local jobs.”
The previous council in 2016 ignored recommendations from an independent planning panel, voting in favour of the proposed business park.
Planning Panels Victoria supported the council’s application to rezone the land, but ruled that an “uncooperative landowner and a project’s feasibility” were insufficient justification for applying a public acquisition overlay when other options were available.
The Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry this week threw its support behind the proposed business park, suggesting the supply of industrial land in the region was quickly drying up.
