Gold Coast councillor calls to rezone farmland, says Yatala Enterprise Area at ‘absolute edge’ of cane fields

A Gold Coast councillor desires to broaden the Yatala Enterprise Area with land running out for brand spanking new industrial tasks except zoning is modified.

This comes as work begins on a brand new $500 million logistics property within the Yatala Enterprise Area.

The 87-hectare property, being developed by EkkoPoint Properties, is inside 3 kilometres of the M1 freeway and adjoining to sprawling cane fields and the proposed route for the Coomera Connector.

“We have at the second, I feel, lower than two years’ price of land left in Yatala,” City of Gold Coast councillor Mark Hammel mentioned.

“This is the final greenfield website within the Yatala Enterprise Area, which was initially marked 50 years in the past, so a plan from 50 years in the past has practically come to its finish.

Strong industrial progress

Mr Hammel mentioned EkkoPoint’s property was at the “absolute edge” of the three,300 hectare Yatala Enterprise Area.

“We have to broaden the enterprise space to make positive that the stream of pipeline of funding and jobs would not cease,” he mentioned.

“There are just a few little items in between, however there aren’t any huge websites left the place personal funding like this could are available in.”

Cr Hammel mentioned his “agency opinion” is that half of the cane fields would develop into industrial however that different areas additional north could possibly be re-zoned as nicely.

Developer Ben McCarthy mentioned the brand new property may home about 40 businesses using 3,000 folks, with the potential of enlargement.

“The hall between the Gold Coast and Brisbane has been growing strongly for 30 years,” he mentioned.

“I simply can’t see it not persevering with to develop, and I feel there may be, in the long run, going to be a displacement of some of the cane fields.

“But keep in mind, there’s loads of cane within the space, and industrial doesn’t burn up as a lot land as cane.”

‘Plenty of curiosity’ in cane

Rocky Point Cane Growers chair Greg Zipf mentioned some farmers is likely to be open to promoting their land relying on market prices.

But he mentioned there was “a lot of curiosity in growing cane at the present prices”.

Mr Zipf mentioned the principle consideration ought to be that sufficient cane fields had been beneath manufacturing for the native sugar mill to stay operational, with the Coomera Connector additionally anticipated to be constructed on farmland.

“The key level for us can be that the [Rocky Point Sugar] mill, even when some land is misplaced to industrial land, that the mill maintains a vital mass.”

The Rocky Point Sugar Mill has been contacted for remark.

Mr Hammel mentioned a report into the enlargement of the enterprise space was due earlier than the council this 12 months, however upgrades to the M1 freeway’s exit 38 and a transparent timeframe for the development of the Coomera Connector had been wanted.

“We’ll then look to accomplice with the state authorities from there at the precise rezoning work,” he mentioned.