Over the next two years, in excess of $1 billion will be invested in the City of Whittlesea, with work underway on the South Morang Rail Extension and the Wholesale Fruit and Vegetable Markets in Epping.
These major investments and infrastructure developments will create thousands of jobs for people living in and around the municipality and will align with Council’s commitment to delivering on community needs through effective strategic planning.
These two major projects, and others, are in part the result of lengthy advocacy work by Council.
Whittlesea’s Director of Economic Development John Francis said partnerships, planning and research are crucial for successfully attracting new investment, and with that, employment, to the municipality.
“We have worked hard to form partnerships and good relationships with the State and Federal governments, developers and other councils,” he said.
An example of this is the Plenty Food Group (PFG) – a food manufacturing industry network for companies based in Melbourne’s north. It is entirely focused on assisting small, medium and large companies in food processing or those supplying products and services to the food manufacturing industry.
PFG is supported by the City of Whittlesea, Hume City Council and the Victorian Government. Within the PFG catchment, there are over 150 food manufacturers employing over 5,000 people with a $2.2 billion benefit to the local economy annually.
Wholesale Fruit and Vegetable
Markets move to Epping
The new Wholesale Market precinct in Cooper Street Epping will occupy a 133 hectare site. During construction, it will inject an estimated $870 million dollars into the local economy. Once completed, approximately 4,000 jobs will move to Epping. In the ensuing ten to 20 years, it is estimated it will attract another $1 billion in investment, as the precinct is fully developed with warehousing, logistics and other supporting businesses, such as equipment servicing, IT support, cleaning and more.
Large areas of land to the north and northwest of the market site will also be suitable for commercial and industrial development.
Council will conduct a study to identify the skills required to fulfil the needs of new businesses operating within the market precinct, and the potential business opportunities that add value to such a massive operation.
“This is an important piece of work to ensure that we all see the economic effectiveness of this operation from day one and encourage businesses to align with the markets at an early stage,” John Francis said.
“Creating a flourishing local economy in an area as diverse as the City of Whittlesea is a complex task. We need to work to attract new businesses and investments, both large and small that match the skills of our residents. We must also support existing businesses, particularly those facing new challenges, such as the manufacturing and farming industries.”
The City of Whittlesea has been traditionally viewed as a manufacturing centre, with the sector employing 19 per cent of local residents, compared to ten per cent Australia wide.
John Francis said Council is working to encourage a broader mix of industries within the municipality.
“Such diversity will make for a stronger local economy and more resilient community,” he said. “It will provide some protection for the municipality in the event of a sudden downturn in any single industry.”
Research has discovered new residents moving to the municipality’s growth areas are bringing with them new sets of skills, such as office administration and technology and business management.
John Francis said Council is using this information to lobby businesses to move their offices to the City of Whittlesea.
“The availability of a skilled local workforce, coupled with high levels of amenity, creates a very strong case for corporate businesses to consider a move to Melbourne’s northern suburbs,” he said.
University Hill Bundoora, which is the first mixed use development in the municipality, has attracted key organisations to its business park, including Continental (formerly Siemens VDO), Doncaster BMW, Porter Davis Homes, the Australian Electoral Commission, VicRoads and a new regional business centre for the Department of Innovation, Industry and Regional Development (DIIRD).
“There is evidence that once State or Federal Government offices set up in a regional area, it attracts other businesses,” John Francis said. “We’re certainly hoping that DIIRD’s relocation will act as a catalyst for more corporate organisations to head north.”
South Morang Rail Extension
The South Morang Rail extension is the first in Melbourne’s suburban rail network in many years. As well as a 3.5 kilometre rail extension, a new underground station will be built at Westfield Plenty Valley Shopping Centre at South Morang, which will feature a bus exchange and parking for 500 cars.
Another new station and platform will be built along already established sections of the rail network in the City of Whittlesea. Work is set to start this year and be completed in 2013.
While the municipality already offers high quality industrial and commercial sites for new businesses, adding transport infrastructure improvements, such as the South Morang Rail Extension, will make the municipality even more attractive as a centre for business.
