SE Queensland’s new gateway takes shape

State 1 works in foreground and State 2 in background.

After 30 years in the industrial sector creating purpose-built facilities for the supply chain industry, Lang Walker has initiated South East Queensland’s largest industrial and logistics development to date, CITISWICH Industrial Estate, near Ipswich.

His landmark decision to develop the $1 billion, 335-hectare estate was triggered by the economic revitalisation of the Ipswich area and the Queensland Government’s $82 billion infrastructure plan for SEQ that aims to encourage development away from the coastal Brisbane strip to the Western corridor and provide cost-effective new employment lands.

With approvals granted for the first stage of the development and earthworks already underway, the new ’gateway‘ estate for South East Queensland is about to gather momentum.

A new level of connectivity

The strategic location of the CITISWICH Industrial Estate at the junction of the Ipswich Motorway, Warrego Highway and the Cunningham Highway, only 22 kilometres from the Brisbane CBD and eight kilometres from Ipswich, allows CITISWICH to connect businesses to the major transport and economic flows to and from the southeast corner of the state.

This means that CITISWICH would be a big beneficiary of the $5 billion road infrastructure spending in the area, making it the well-connected industrial site in South East Queensland and a highly attractive destination for the supply chain/logistics industry.

The estate will directly benefit from the multi-billion investment in major new road upgrades and services infrastructure, which include:

• the $1.1 billion Ipswich Motorway upgrade with lane capacity increasing from four to six lanes;

• the $2.3 billion proposed Northern bypass to link Dinmore to the Logan Motorway;

• the $86 million Cunningham/Warrego Highway link, which is a new four-lane highway capable of carrying B-double and B-triple trucks that will connect the Warrego and Cunningham to the national transport grid;

• a Hoepner Road extension within the CITISWICH Industrial Estate, that will be developed by Walker at the cost of $10 million, to create B-double connection between the Warrego Highway and Brisbane Road.

Walker Corporation executive chairman, Lang Walker, said the highway location and national connectivity provided the estate with excellent access to transport infrastructure.

“Planned highway and local road upgrades will significantly improve traffic flow and access,” he said. “The location in the rapidly-expanding western corridor offers advantages for businesses seeking to relocate, or new businesses seeking to establish a corporate base in South East Queensland.

“CITISWICH will offer businesses an outstanding opportunity to capitalise on the current shortage of available land and building alternatives in South East Queensland.”

Focus on lowering real estate costs

With Australian industrial and logistics occupiers increasingly heading west of the major cities and seeking cost-effective real estate for their businesses, this new industrial estate aims to capture interest offering cheaper overall real estate costs when compared with mature industrial areas in Brisbane and Gold Coast.

The Walker industrial team, under the leadership of Lang Walker, provides better real estate options to national customers seeking to find efficiencies in business operations. Having also created a number of successful small industrial strata facilities, the company is able to accommodate both small and large-scale operators at CITISWICH.

Real estate options being offered by the company include land sale, pre-lease, turnkey, and design and construction. Lots are available in the first stage of CITISWICH, with land ranging in lot sizes from 4,000 square metres to 12 hectares.

The second stage of CITISWICH is also ready for the market, providing lots ranging from 5,500 square metres to 3.5 hectares. Included in the infrastructure works for the next stage is a link between Brisbane Road and the Warrego Highway, which will create a big benefit for local traffic flows when it is completed towards the end of next year.

Prices start from around $250 per square metre for land purchase and $90-100 per square metre for lease.

More space, more efficiency

Whether occupiers choose to be owners or renters, the estate can accommodate efficient new large-scale buildings with the flexibility for expansion and inclusion of new technologies.

The company says CITISWICH is the ideal location for manufacturing industries, distribution and logistics operators, warehouse and storage facilities, construction and service industries, mining companies and research and technology firms.

Frontage to the Warrego Highway offers high-exposure premises for light industry, commercial activities and corporate headquarters. The highway frontage is expected to be an advantage for businesses needing ready transport access and will include wholesaling and retail outlets for local on-site manufacturers.

The estate is also suitable for small-scale commercial offices and factories for start-ups, businesses for which transport access and national connectivity is important, and firms keen to position themselves close to a large, skilled workforce.

A flexible master plan on a ‘mega-site’

Walker Corporation will spend about $250 million on land development in seven stages over the next 8-12 years. When completed, CITISWICH is projected to provide the base for industries employing up to 5000 people.

 

Featuring a mix of industrial, commercial, residential, open space and business uses in a master-planned estate, CITISWICH aims to become the leading development of its kind.

The industrial estate is well serviced with electricity, natural gas, telephone, water and sewerage, and is linked into the Western Corridor Recycled Water Project, an advanced waste water treatment facility providing A-plus rated water to industry.

Utilising its direct access to the Bremer River, the industrial estate plans include significant landscaping, wide buffer zones and set-backs so that it can blend into the amenity of the surrounding area, softening the overall appearance of buildings and minimising visual impact. Community uses such as child care and health care will also be included, along with convenience retail stores and dining, public open space, with parks and recreational areas.

Walker Corporation expects its reputation in the industry, together with the quality of the development projects in its national portfolio, to add positively to the project’s status. In development projects, the company has been focusing on achieving the estate’s functionality, technical efficiency and speed of operations. It also espouses commitment to safety, in addition to good industrial and architectural design that suits both distribution and head office facilities.

Mr Walker said that at CITISWICH, Walker Corporation has created a vision for a dynamic economic force in the growing western corridor of Brisbane as South East Queensland continues its phenomenal growth.

“CITISWICH is master-planned to the exacting standards that have made Walker Corporation one of Australia’s most successful property developers,” he said. “This particular site was selected over other sites throughout Australia as it provides the greatest potential for dynamic growth.

“CITISWICH will be a modern, connected and smart location for business in South East Queensland. Businesses that choose to locate at CITISWICH will reap the benefits of regional growth and exceptional transport connectivity around Australia and to the rest of the world.”

For more information please contact Richard Trumbull on 1800 082 145, email richard.trumbull@walkercorp.com.au or visit www.citiswich.com.au.