SEVEN hectares of land is up for grabs in Epsom, as the City of Greater Bendigo plans to address the need for industrial land.
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Killen Thomas managing director David Marks said Melbourne and Sydney-based parties had already expressed interest in the site, which is pitched at ‘a range of industrial and retail uses’.
Bendigo strategy and growth director Bernie O’Sullivan said the parcel of land on the Midland Highway would be too small to develop a large-scale business park.
“However, any industrial development on this site would be welcome,” he said.
The council is in the process of creating an Industrial Land Development Strategy.
“This site, along with all other currently zoned industrial land, will be investigated through the process of developing the strategy,” Mr O’Sullivan said.
“During the development of this strategy, there will be a number of opportunities for residents and businesses to provide input.
“It is expected draft strategy will be available for consultation in the coming months.”
Work on The Gateway Bendigo started about August and went on the market about a week ago.
Mr Marks expected bids for the land, next to the McCullochs Hydraulic Engineers head office, to be up around $5 million.
It was his understanding, from liaising with the council, that there was about 90 hectares of industrial land remaining in Bendigo.
That land would be exhausted by about 2035.
Mr O’Sullivan did not confirm those figures.
“As part of the Industrial Land Development Strategy, given the changes which have occurred in recent years in terms of technology, skills, energy, waste management, freight and logistics and the broader economy, the city is undertaking a detailed investigation of the current supply and future need for industrial land,” he said.
“This includes looking at the attributes of existing land, including any constraints and the likely need for different sized land parcels.
“We will have a more up-to-date understanding of this shortly.”
The city’s existing Industrial Land Development Strategy dates back to 2002.
A new plan was made all the more necessary after the council was last year unsuccessful in its long-running attempt to forcibly buy a section of the Carter family farm in Marong for use as a business park.
Mr Marks believed the establishment of a Qantas service between Bendigo and Sydney had made investing in Bendigo more attractive to prospective buyers in New South Wales.
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