New plans for a Gateway Enterprise Park on a 30-hectare parcel of land between the Great Western Highway and the western line emerged on the eve of tonight’s ordinary monthly meeting of Bathurst Regional Council.

They follow a request from developers to consider a planning proposal to address the red tape and land zonings needed to allow the proposal to get up and running.

The venture dates back to 2006 when it was first mooted.

While council has identified the site as “strategic land suitable for re-zoning to enable further expansion of bulky goods development within Bathurst”, it has put several conditions on the proposal if it is to proceed.

The key is that warehouses or distribution centres can be incorporated into the development only in conjunction with freight transport facilities, including the rail spur.

If the rail spur does not eventuate, then council has stipulated the site may only be used for bulky goods sales rooms or showroom purposes.

It would mean the freight transport facilities and warehouses or distribution centre would not be allowed to proceed.

A report to tonight’s meeting by the director of environmental planning and building services David Shaw notes the importance of the site on the high profile eastern entrance to Bathurst.

To ensure it is kept aesthetically pleasing, council has set aside a 40-metre buffer zone to the Great Western Highway (Sydney Road) to provide appropriate land for gateway approach improvements and landscaping.

There is also a 50-metre access and protection corridor over Raglan Creek and land use buffers to adjoining rural and industrial land.

Mr Shaw’s report also looks to the future of development in that area of the city.

“The implementation of the various strategies of council will provide far greater opportunity for longer term and ongoing consolidation of bulky goods development in one precinct well beyond the year 2036,” his report states.

“It also enables part of the site to be used as an intermodal freight terminal (freight transport facility) and associated warehousing (warehouse and distribution centre) as requested by the applicant in a manner that does not jeopardise council’s planning strategies.

“It also enables all of the land to be used for bulky goods salesroom or showroom purposes should the freight transport facilities and warehouses or distribution centres not proceed.”

Mr Shaw also details the history of the project, noting that over the years there have been requests to make modifications to the original concept plan to include fast food restaurants and the potential for subdivision.

However, council refused to give consent for these changes as it believed many of the requests were substantially and radically different to the original consent plan.

These included a doubling of the bulky goods component and future subdivision of the site.

Mr Shaw said the site is an irregular parcel of land with a northern frontage of 900 metres to the Great Western Highway and southern frontage to the railway line, providing total site area of almost 30 hectares

“The rail terminal is the vital component,” he said. “If that doesn’t eventuate, the site reverts to a 3b zoning which does not allow the intermodal transport terminals. 

“At stake here is the very important aim of maintaining the integrity of that gateway to Bathurst. It’s such a high profile area and has to be kept looking good for the future of Bathurst and for all the passing traffic that goes through there each day. It is the main entrance to Bathurst.”