Old Bendigo Ridley Corporation factory sold

The old Ridley Corporation's factory site is one of the largest commercial lots in Charleston Road and incorporates a historically significant former flour mill.

The buyer is yet to respond to requests for comment on the factory's future but the property has changed hands at a time of broader changes in the industrial area.

The City of Greater Bendigo is currently in the early stages of community consultations about a master plan that could potentially steer the area away from its industrial roots.

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In its early days, Bendigo's north and western areas housed the flour mill, an abattoir, cattle yard and various industrial workshops paved the way for suburban expansion.

The council used a 2019 industrial strategy to flag more work on the future of the industrial precinct, which includes a Bendigo TAFE campus, Hume & Iser and other commercial operations.

Fewer businesses were using land for industrial purposes because of limited space and nearby homes, the council observed at the time.

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Real estate agents at Loop Property recently marketed the old Ridley's Corp sale as a "rare chance to shape the future of this prominent site" while the council works on the area's master plan.

The sale has come as the council celebrates a 155 hectare land purchase in Marong that could alleviate increasing land shortages across the municipality.

The land could be turned into an industrial park housing up to 4000 workers, the council has estimated in an announcement made on Wednesday.

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