Here’s what’s been happening on the Ipswich business scene.
YAMANTO CENTRAL
Yamanto is set to receive the first instalment of the Yamanto Town Centre Master Plan as building begins on Yamanto Central, a $100 million, 25-hectare shopping precinct that will revolutionise the shopping experience in the area.
Designed by the Buchan Group in conjunction with development company DMA Partners and JMK Retailers, the project will house a Coles, a Kmart, a market central with 1750 sqm fresh food and convenience precinct and central eats, a dymanic indoor/outdoor restaurant and dining precinct, a basement swimming centre and a medical and health precinct.
The site also includes 950 free car parking spaces.
Construction of the centre is estimated to provide around 600 jobs during development and around 500 once operating, take around eighteen months and will ideally be open for business in early 2021.
BRASSAL BIKEWAY
Construction dates have been announced for the fifth and sixth stage of the Brassall Bikeway. Construction will commence in January 2020 and is expected to be fully completed by April 2020.
The Bikeway is a major project in the process to build a strong community between Ipswich and the surrounding areas and along with the Nicholas Street revamp will remain a souvenir of the adminstrative era of the Ipswich City Council.
Stage 5 will link Keswick Road, Karrabin across Ironpot Creek, connecting into Diamantina Boulevard, Brassall.
Stage 6 will connect to an existing bikeway connection point at Stage 1, North Ipswich and will cross the Bremer River into the Ipswich CBD.
IPSWICH DEFENCE INDUSTRY HUB
Ipswich’s future as a strong Defence region has been further fortified with the introduction of a $5 million dollar Defence Hub to be built in the CBD early next year.
The Hub will operate out of the Fire Station 101 building on Limestone street, an “innovation hub” that helps businesses thrive.
The role of the Hub is “to assist local industry tap into the rapid growth of the defence industries sector and other defence supply chain opportunities, such as heavy vehicle manufacturing and maintenance, aerospace maintenance and the development of trusted autonomous systems.”
In conjunction with the $5 million major Defence contract with Redbank-based Rheinmetall Australia, the Defence Hub is expected to offer jobs within the industry to the local community and to continue to support the growing Defence Ipswich initiative run by the Ipswich City Council.
