Scenic Rim in Queensland hopes to fast-track development of an intermodal hub outside of Bromelton
A small local council in southeast Queensland is offering big incentives for logistics operations to move into what it hopes will be a large inland intermodal port.
The Scenic Rim council, located to the southwest of Brisbane, will waive up to $400,000 in infrastructure costs for eligible businesses, under its new Jobs Jump Start program.
While the incentives are available to all incoming projects, the development of an industrial freight transfer port near the town of Bromelton is seen as a likely destination for new investment.
The port has been in the planning stages since 2007.
The proposed location has close access to the standard-gauge rail line connecting Brisbane and Melbourne, and 15,000 hectares of appropriately zoned space available to develop.
The planned Beaudesert Bypass will further aid transport connectivity, eliminating a potential bottleneck for trucks travelling between Brisbane and the Bromelton port.
Scenic Rim mayor John Brent says the incentives are designed to get potential developments started sooner, rather than later.
“Jobs Jump Start provides a significant and unprecedented catalyst for the activation of development, principally commercial and industrial, which demonstrably contributes to long-term job creation,” Brent says.
“It’s a tough business landscape at present and while we can’t compel developers to act upon their approvals, I believe we’re making them an offer too good to refuse.”
The waivers will be capped at $3 million, and will apply until the end of 2016.