Penrith City Council has announced the acquisition of 16.29 hectares of industrial land in Emu Plains, in an effort to increase local employment opportunities and stimulate the local economy.

The industrial area was previously held by Rocla, a concrete pipe supplier. Last year they vacated the area, with the local council believing the land has the potential to become a new industrial and employment hub, that will unlock one of the biggest industrial land parcels in the suburb in over 14 years.

Penrith Mayor Karen McKeown OAM says the purchase of the site aligns with Council’s strategic vision for Penrith to become a world-class city with employment opportunities close to home.

“As part of the revitalisation of our city, Council has purchased 158-164 Old Bathurst Road for a future industrial precinct to diversify our local job opportunities, attract investment to our city and locate businesses close to home,” she says.

“We need to significantly increase our employment hubs in Penrith with our population set to grow by 60,000 in the next 10 years, and over half of our working population already commuting outside the area each day for work. Our proposed industrial precinct at Emu Plains will help us to achieve our employment targets by creating 300 - 350 new jobs once complete in essential industries such as advanced manufacturing, logistics, warehouse distribution and construction.

“This new project will also inject $36.4 million into our local economy each year, helping to support our recovery from COVID-19.”

Penrith Council aims to subdivide the site to improve the limited supply of medium-sized industrial land in the Penrith LGA. The subdivision will help to attract over 40 businesses to base their operations in Emu Plains and provide much-needed space for local businesses to start up or scale up.

This strategic site is within close proximity to the Penrith CBD, Blue Mountains, the M4 Motorway, Emu Plains train station and the proposed adjacent State Government commuter car park.

The site, located at 158-164 Old Bathurst Road, will aid Council in diversifying its portfolio of projects that will provide a multitude of spaces for local businesses and boost the economy as a result.

Council has now finalised contracts with settlement due in 2023 and can now commence the planning phases of the project with a development application expected to be lodged in mid-2022.

Image: Supplied

Jarrod Reedie

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