Calls for yearly review of industrial land supply

The recommendation comes after council commissioned and received an independent report on industrial land supply developed by Ethos Urban Consultancy.

The report recommended the annual supply and demand review based on the uncertainty of future land take-up caused by international coal market trade risks and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Future growth scenarios also showed the Paget industrial area could be exhausted by the year 2033.

The report found that developed industrial land in Paget increased from 110ha to 333ha between 2000 and 2020.

This significant increase corresponded with mining construction in the Bowen Basin and required $200 million for trunk services to develop land in Paget.

And given that it takes five to seven years to create serviced land, council could be required to start planning for high impact industrial land outside of Paget as early as 2027.

Mayor Greg Williamson said the independent report gave a clear picture of what needed to be done to be able to release industrial land in a timely manner.

“The report identifies 349 hectares of vacant zoned industrial land for future use,” he said.

“The recommended annual review will analyse impacts in demand as a result of trends in international markets for commodities, coal production and exports, manufacturing and population growth patterns.

“And, it will also keep track of supply by updating the database of use of industrial land and monitoring the annual uptake of both high and low impact industrial land.

“We are home to a strong industrial base, world-class companies and research institutions in the Mining Equipment, Technology and Services (METS) sector with significant bulk port and coal terminal facilities.

“These strengths can support new and emerging industries in our region, and we want to make sure we have the ability to release industrial land as soon as it’s needed.”

The independent report and executive summary are available to view on council’s website.