Why has the site been selected for industrial development?

The site of the BREP was identified through a City of Greater Bendigo Expression of Interest (EOI) process, which assessed around 600 potential sites before confirming a 294-hectare area south of Marong as the preferred location. To advance the project, the City acquired 155 hectares of land within the precinct through voluntary negotiations, with the balance remaining in private ownership. Please refer to the website: https://www.bendigo.vic.gov.au/about-us/projects/bendigo-regional-employment-precinct

The BREP has been identified in a suite of planning documents and technical studies as a new priority industrial area to address the shortage of large serviced industrial lots in Greater Bendigo. These include:

• Plan for Victoria highlights the importance of planning for jobs and industrial land at a state level, with the BREP recognised as a key opportunity to deliver regional employment land.
• Plan Greater Bendigo which recognised the need for a diverse range of employment options through ensuring sufficient supply of commercial and industrial land.
• Greater Bendigo Industrial Land Strategy which identified the BREP as being a high priority for meeting the regions industrial lands supply needs. This was due to its capacity to deliver large industrial lots which were not constrained by a proximity to sensitive land uses (residential) and being located along existing and planned road networks.
• Marong Township Structure Plan which identified the BREP should be subject to detailed investigation regarding its future use as an industrial employment area due to its access to key transport routes, limited constraints and land ownership pattern.