Stage one of the Peel Business Park has been officially opened and already investors are showing interest in the new Nambeelup Industrial Area, according to the development agency behind the project.
The 1000 hectare park will be located 10 kilometres north-east of Mandurah and forms the first phase of the Transform Peel initiative.
Transform Peel is a multi-million dollar project that has been labelled as a “game changer” that will contribute significantly to the economic development of the region.
Within the project will sit the Peel Business Park and the Peel Agri-Innovation Precinct, which has been designed to incorporate high technology food production, value-added processing, university-led research and development, and a range of common-use facilities.
Peel Business Park is tipped to open the door for up to 2000 new jobs to benefit the Shire of Murray, the City of Mandurah and the wider Peel region.
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Launched on Tuesday, stage one will see lots, ranging from 2,400 square meters to two hectares, up for grabs across 120 hectares of land.
LandCorp chief executive Frank Marra said while the land represented slightly more than 10 per cent of the total area earmarked for the Peel Business Park, the parcel was particularly important as it is the first in the estate to be developed for sale.
Comprising of five interconnected, fully serviced and sustainably designed precincts, the development will cater for agri-innovation, commercial, light, and general industrial business.
“We’ve been talking through our real estate agents to lots of interested parties and there are several interested,” Mr Marra told the Mandurah Mail.
He said while no one was “locked in” yet, it was still early days.
“Up until now, we’ve been expressions of interests. Today we’re launching and we have contracts available,” he said.
Shire of Murray president David Bolt said local government was doing what it could to woo potential investors to the region.
To entice investors, the shire is offering a rate holiday to the first five businesses to commit to the project across their initial three years in the park.
“The council has approved a rate holiday for the first five businesses to buy into the Peel Business Park,” Mr Bolt said.
“In addition to that, we approved to give them a free building and development application.
“We’re doing what’s in our control. We think that is going to be an important incentive for the first companies to bring the project to their attention.”
Mr Marra said he hoped after those first spots were snapped up a trickle effect would occur.
“We’re very hopeful that within a short period of time, not only the first five that David is going to be supporting that many more are going to come,” he said.
Mr Bolt said made special mention of the $21.75 million of funding announced Canning MP Andrew Hastie in October.
Mr Bolt said state and federal government support would place Murray “at the centre of agricultural excellence in Western Australia.”
He said every Murray resident was likely to benefit from the development, particularly ratepayers as a common-use facility in the park would be a shire asset.
“The asset belongs to the shire and they’ll be money coming in from that. We’ll be leasing that out to other parties,” he said.
“The jobs and job prospects are also going to be important for [Murray residents].”
Those employment opportunities will have a “catalytic effect” for the whole community, according to Mr Bolt.
Follow Caitlyn Rintoul on Twitter via @caitlynrintoul.
