The Northlink WA highway project is providing the catalyst to change our northern corridor. Within the Northern Valleys Bullsbrook is likely to see the biggest initial impacts of this significant $1.12b infrastructure project.
At the recent Chittering Chamber of Commerce AGM, Matthew McNeilly, Managing Director of Sirona Capital which owns Northern Gateway Industrial Park (NGIP) at Bullsbrook provided an enlightening presentation on the potential industrial future of the region.
The Northern Gateway local structure plan was approved this month by the City of Swan and with this green light Sirona intend to start selling the first stage in early 2015. Matthew recalled how the company began years ago looking for a site for a future industrial area, recognising the shortage of large industrial land holdings in WA.
The list of 37 sites was long but they narrowed it down to Bullsbrook. Bullsbrook was selected because it suited industrial use and also the prospect of infrastructure such as the NorthlinkWA and the Midland to Geraldton rail freight line.
NorthlinkWA is now budgeted and is scheduled for construction to commence in 2016. The Freight and Logistics Council of Western Australia (FLCWA) have also conceptually acknowledged Bullsbrook in their Feb 2014 bulletin as a potential Intermodal Freight Terminal (IFT).
According to Matthew’s presentation, within 20 years NGIP will become home to an estimated 1.6 million m2 of developed warehousing (plus associated hard stand), valued on completion at in excess of $3.0 billion. No surprises the WA Government now also sees Bullsbrook as an industrial development priority.
According to the Bullsbrook Townsite Land Use Master Plan the population of Bullsbrook is forecast to increase from about 5600 to 17,000 residents in 2031 and 26,000 by 2036.
For all those in the Northern Valleys this project and the growth of Bullsbrook is likely to have an impact through the region.
