HORSHAM Enterprise Estate has generated more than $3.3 million in land sales and 118 full-time jobs for the city.
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The staged development in the city’s south-west started in 2004 with stages 1 and 1a.
The stages – made up of 14 lots – generated about $7 million in capital investment and created 81 full-time jobs.
Horsham Rural City Council voted to develop stage 2 of the enterprise estate in 2011, with support from Regional Development Victoria.
The second stage comprised 13 lots, one of which was set aside for a new council depot.
Council’s planning and economic director Tony Bawden said all blocks in the second stage had been sold, and money raised from the sales returned to the industrial estate reserve fund.
He said six industrial buildings had been constructed in stage two so far, with two of the remaining lots subdivided.
Contractual conditions with Regional Development Victoria require council to review stage 2 land sales and report on estimated development investment and employment outcomes.
Stage 2 land sales from 2011 to 2015 totalled $1,590,272.
Eight of the 13 lots were sold in 2012 for a total of $1,072,000.
No lots were sold in 2014.
Mr Bawden said capital investment both built and planned for across stage 2 had a total conservative value of $6,010,000, which was spread across many sectors including manufacturing, construction and construction.
He said stage 2 had generated 37 full-time jobs, with estimated wages and salary output of more than $5.3 million a year.
Economic modelling estimates the direct output from this employment is about $14 million.
Mr Bawden said enterprise estate stages 1, 1a and 2 had injected more than $3.3 million in land sales, $13 million in capital investment, and the delivery or retention of 118 full-time jobs.
He said these figures helped drive the municipality’s industrial sectors and the broader economy.
He said there were plans in place for stages three and four of the estate.
Cr Robin Barber said the estate provided a huge boost to Horsham.
“Some would say we should have done this 20 years ago, but it is what it is,” he said.
“I think if the private sector doesn’t get a hurry up, we should crank up the next stage and start selling.”
