Central Coast Industry Connect Limited is planning to build an $11.6M food manufacturing and training hub in a light industrial area at Ourimbah.
The development proposal is for a single two-storey building housing nine internal spaces for food-related businesses in a co-operative hub for research, innovation, promotion and education.
Central Coast Industry Connect is a not-for-profit organisation that helps manufacturers discover opportunities through building relationships and collaboration.
It is envisaged that the development will provide a positive economic injection into the local economy, resulting in both short term and longer term jobs with more than 200 direct jobs anticipated and potentially 400 indirect jobs being generated over time.
Central Coast Council is owner of the 1.88ha development site at 2-4 Brownlee St, Ourimbah, and agreed in June 2023 to enter a land lease arrangement with Central Coast Industry Connect so the Food Manufacturing Innovation Hub could proceed.
The site has a history of industrial use being a former sawmill and a portion in the southern area of the block will be fenced off and continue to be used as a Council works compound.
A dilapidated dwelling and outbuildings will be demolished.
Construction will be on already cleared land, avoiding part of the site impacted by local flooding and which contains important riparian vegetation along Bangalow Creek on the eastern boundary.
Part of the development application is to retain a minimum 20m-wide riparian corridor along the western side of Bangalow Creek which will be subject to a vegetation management plan, and with rehabilitation works occurring on both sides of the creek contained within in the development land.
A portion of that land along the creek will be zoned C2 environmental conservation.
Appropriate site drainage will ensure surface water will be collected and treated in a basin before being discharged to Bangalow Creek.
The application (DA/320/2024) is to be determined by the Hunter and Central Coast Regional Planning Panel and submissions close on May 20 on Central Coast Council’s DA Tracker at centralcoast.nsw.gov.au
Sue Murray