Armadale site for BGC

BUILDING and construction giant Len Buckridge’s BGC has selected an Armadale site for its planned $75 million brick works.

While declining to identify the exact location and area of the site, Mr Buckridge said at least 20 hectares was required but a bigger site would lessen the impact on surrounding property holders. 

A recent review of gas emissions from the brickworks in Swan Valley revealed detrimental health effects on nearby residents, sparking a call for a major overhaul of the monitoring and regulation of brickworks’ emissions.

Given that the site meets environmental regulations, Mr Buckridge does not expect locating the brick plant out in Armadale will pose any logistical problems.

“These days it doesn’t matter where you put the site with the big transport links we now have,” he said.

BGC identified the site from a number of locations, including land at the airport and a Hazelmere site.

Mr Buckridge said he had ruled out locating the plant in the Westralia Airports Corporation industrial precinct, as the land was leased from the Commonwealth.

Westralia Airports Corporation chief executive Graham Muir said the airport group had been in discussions with BGC and was interested in trying to facilitate developments such as brickworks in its industrial area.

Mr Buckridge said the Shire of Swan had made it too difficult to locate the brick plant at Hazelmere.

“In a meeting with the City of Swan chief executive officer, he said he would not be approving any more brickworks,” he said.

The level of demand for brick products bodes well for BGC’s plans, with two years of strong growth boom and strong activity in the commercial sector combining to use up reserves at Perth’s two brick producers, Midland Brick and Metro Brick, both located in the Swan Valley region.

Builders have been forced to wait up to three months to secure some brick products, causing Metro Brick to begin importing from the eastern States.

BGC is aiming to have its brick plant in production by 2005 and has been recruiting key staff from the brick industry, including former Midland Brick general manager Paul Arndt, who recently joined BGC.