A PLAN to set up an asphalt batching plant at Burnt Creek Industrial Estate could create more than 50 jobs.
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Ballarat businessman Mark Smithson, the owner of Western Victoria Asphalt, said he had always planned to extend his Ballarat business to the Wimmera.
He has had a $500,000 batching plant sitting in his workshop ready to install at Burnt Creek for the past six months.
"I already have the name and we were always planning to take a plant to Horsham," Mr Smithson said.
"I love Horsham, I love the people and I love the climate."
Western Victoria Asphalt creates asphalt products, while Mr Smithson's second business Smith and Wil Asphalting lays the products.
At Horsham Rural City Council's Monday meeting, council authorised a five-year lease at the industrial estate, with the option for Mr Smithson to buy the land.
The estate has been vacant since a parcel of land failed to sell because of financial issues four years ago.
"The plant will generate business, there's no doubt about that," Mr Smithson said.
"We hope to have it up and out of the ground at Burnt Creek by Christmas and will buy the land for sure down the track.
"We're not going into this lightly."
Mr Smithson predicted the plant would create about 30 jobs with his company within five years and an additional 20 indirect jobs.
Western Victoria Asphalt's Ballarat plant produces 26,000 tonnes of asphalt each year, with the Burnt Creek plant to initially produce 11,000 to 15,000 tonnes each year.
Materials will be sourced from the Wimmera and the business will eventually hire its own trucks and drivers to cart rock, sand and dust to the Burnt Creek site.
Council's economic and corporate director Tony Bawden said the Burnt Creek lease would start in three weeks.
He said council and Wimmera contractors would benefit from the new plant, because the Wimmera would no longer need to source asphalt from Ballarat.
"It should lower the cost base for the civil contractors that tender for works," Mr Bawden said.
"This should also help make them more competitive and private sub-contractors and developers will also benefit."
