A business prospectus issued by the City of Knox has highlighted the strong economic development potential of the region.
Knox is nestled at the base of Melbourne’s Dandenong Ranges in the outer eastern suburbs.
After becoming recognised as a city in 1969, Knox experienced rapid residential and industrial growth for over three decades, as many young families moved there for the space, work and lifestyle opportunities on offer.
Forty years on, the city has matured into an established and prosperous, family friendly community.
As a city, Knox has managed to combine a good residential mix, with a healthy blend of economic opportunities — all within an enjoyable community environment.
Coordinator Economic Development Peter Chaffey said for all this stability to continue into the future, Knox Council knew there needed to be a proactive approach to attracting and retaining business in Knox.
"That’s where our Economic Development team and its innovative Business and Investment Prospectus, Opportunity Knox comes in," he said.
"When developing the Business and Investment Prospectus, during 2009-10, the team realised that the document needed to be impressive it needed to stand out from the crowd when presented amongst competitors, but still be flexible enough to have impact when placed on the web.
The team was also keen for the document to be produced in such a way that pages could be removed and replaced as the landscape of the municipality and the accompanying nature of what Knox had to offer changed over time.
It became apparent that, if produced well, the document would become part of the ‘tool kit’ for those who already worked to promote our city the property agents, property owners and developers in Knox, as well as the off-shore agencies of the Victorian and Australian Governments.
In addition, we wanted to target the commercial arms of overseas consulates and the many bilateral chambers of commerce, while still serving the needs of our greatest group of champions for Knox the businesses that already operate in our city."
Peter Chaffey said that it was with all this in mind that the prospectus was launched.
"It’s a document that details Knox as a place to invest, while also outlining Council’s vision, details about the economy, capacity and proximity of Knox, and the wonderful amenity and community character of this city.
It showcases local businesses and details everything people could want to know about Knox in an easy to read, interchangeable web based document."
Since being completed, the Prospectus has been mailed to a number of international and local business and investment agents, with multiple acknowledgements being received about the benefits of the document.
Peter Chaffey said Council has also been successful in gaining new business to the area, as the document has given businesses a greater understanding of the local economy.
"We believe we’ve met all our original aims with this Prospectus, and we’re looking forward to seeing how it will continue to shape the future of Knox." he said.
A local commercial industrial real estate agent for Colliers International Geoff Fookes said the Opportunity Knox Business and Investment Prospectus is a very valuable tool in assisting businesses and employees to realise the benefits that the City of Knox has to offer as a workplace.
"The detail in the prospectus fully informs businesses of all the services available in the City of Knox from planning, transport, shopping centres and children services, to business support offered by the Knox Economic Development Unit," he said.
For further information contact Peter Chaffey at Knox City Council at (03) 9298 8000.
