Peel agri-business hub a step closer

Planning and Lands Minister, Rita Saffioti, last Friday approved a minor amendment to the Peel Region Scheme rezoning 120 hectares on the corner of Lakes and Gull roads from rural to industrial.

While a minor amendment, it cleared the way for LandCorp, which owns the land, to begin work on providing headworks infrastructure to allow for the first 74ha to be marketed.

The WA Planning Commission (WAPC) report on Friday's amendment noted the previous State government had allocated $49.3 million in April last year for the first phase of the broader Transform Peel program, of which the business park is an integral early development component.

"Of this amount, $45.2m has been allocated for the provision of key infrastructure services to enable phase one of the Nambeelup industrial area to proceed," the WAPC report stated.

It also noted the former department of agriculture and food WA (DAFWA), now part of the Primary Industries and Natural Resources Department (DPIRD), had supported the business park proposal in a submission earlier this year.

"DAFWA emphasises the importance of attracting food manufacturing and processing industries, logistics enterprises and supporting commercial and light industrial activities in line with key objectives of Peel Development Commission's 'Transform Peel' program," the report stated.

The Department of Transport, in the report, identified Lakes Road as a major freight road in the Perth Freight Transport Network Plan for Perth and Peel and said it envisaged road requirements would be determined before a structure plan for the site was approved.

A total of 13 submissions were received, most from State and Federal government agencies and servicing bodies providing advice on technical aspects.

There were no objections.

Two submissions were from nearby landowners, one from a legal representative for substantial land holder George Weston Foods Ltd, one of Australia's largest food manufacturers and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Associated British Foods which operates in 46 countries.

The George Weston Foods' submission asked that essential services brought to the area to enable vacant paddocks to be developed as the first stage of the business park, be accessible to nearby landowners.

WAPC "noted" the request.

LandCorp chief executive Frank Marra said the rezoning was an important step forward for the Transform Peel initiative and attracting new investment to the Peel area.

"The Industrial zoning provides greater security for businesses, especially agriculturally focussed enterprises, looking to service the Peel and South West regions from new facilities in Nambeelup," Mr Marra said.

"Once fully developed, the Peel Business Park will be an innovative business hub and sustainable industrial zone expected to create around 2000 jobs and inject around $1 billion into the economy per annum.

"Expressions of Interest are open for forward-thinking businesses in agribusiness, light and general industry, research and development and transport and logistics to facilitate and support the long-term investment in the Peel," he said.

As previously reported in Farm Weekly, the rezoned site 10 kilometres north-east of Mandurah in Murray Shire is proposed as stage one of an agribusiness and technology-focused business precinct that could ultimately cover 1000ha.

An adjacent 174ha fronting Kwinana Freeway south and west of it was already zoned for industrial use.

The agribusiness and technology focus of the proposed business park has attracted overseas enquiry to LandCorp and Peel Development Commission (PDC).

Regional Development and Agriculture and Food Minister Alannah MacTiernan is understood to have been involved in some discussion about potential international businesses that may establish there.

Interest in potential for a small agriculture tertiary education or training campus there has also been indicated.

Recent amalgamation of State government departments had seen some "resource sharing" benefit to the Transform Peel program and its business park component, Transform Peel director Linda Cunningham said in her latest community newsletter.

Andrew Duff, a business development specialist with the former DAFWA, had been seconded to the program to "identify businesses aligned with the Transform Peel strategy", Ms Cunningham said.

As well, DPIRD had commissioned a study to identify businesses "under relocation pressure" in metropolitan Perth, identify their infrastructure needs and develop strategies to help transport, supply chain logistics and other forms of agribusiness to relocate to the business park, she said.

That report may be completed as early as next month.

According to the PDC, Transform Peel is expected to bring 33,100 jobs - including 8600 in exporting and producer services - by 2050 at which time it is proposed to be generating $16.2 billion in economic activity a year, including $1.8b from exports.

Abutting the business park east of the Serpentine River and freeway and stretching east towards the Darling escarpment, is to be the proposed 28,000ha Peel Food Zone.

Various growing proposals, including nutrient and climate-controlled glasshouses, in-ground irrigation and intensive animal production like chickens, are being investigated for DPIRD.

The food zone is proposed to be planned and operational by 2021, according to PDC.

As well, as a third component of the Transform Peel program, the Department of Water and Environment Regulation (DWER) is working on the Peel Integrated Water Initiative (PIWI).

It is proposing to develop an innovative new approach to water management in the food zone by 2021.

This will include ongoing development of sustainable new water resources as well as reducing nutrient flow, particularly phosphorous load, from across the food zone into Peel Inlet and Harvey Estuary by up to 50 per cent.

With land for the initial stage of the business park rezoned, Farm Weekly understands other advances of Transform Peel may follow in fairy rapid succession.

One is believed to be release for public consultation of a report prepared by GHD consultants on the food zone relating types and styles of agriculture land use best suited to specific soil type areas across the zone.

That report was commissioned by DAFWA before it was rolled into DPIRD.

It is likely to form the basis of future discussions with landowners, growers, community and industry on Transform Peel.