INDUSTRIAL estates across the metropolitan area are evolving into highly specialised industry-specific precincts, with an increased focus on office space and general amenity, according to state government agency LandCorp.
INDUSTRIAL estates across the metropolitan area are evolving into highly specialised industry-specific precincts, with an increased focus on office space and general amenity, according to state government agency LandCorp.
LandCorp is responsible for the delivery of ‘next generation’ industrial estates at Henderson, Hope Valley, Wangara, and further north at Neerabup.
LandCorp general manager industrial, John Hackett, said the biggest evolution in the development of industrial estates over recent years was the increased provision of office space.
“In the 1980s, people would build 100 square metres or 150sqm of office if they built 1000sqm of warehouse, whereas now they’re building significantly higher percentages of office,” Mr Hackett told WA Business News.
“That’s related to how they run their businesses; they may have had head offices in Perth with their administrative staff and just had blue collar staff at the warehouse, but now businesses really want to bring all their staff together in the one location.”
Catering for the increase in white collar workers in the new estates has meant LandCorp has had to consider a raft of initiatives aimed at increasing the basic amenity of industrial estates, from the provision of broadband and closed circuit television cameras for added security, to retaining portions of the estate for public open space.
“There are no requirements that 10 per cent of public open space is reserved in an industrial subdivision like there is for residential,” Mr Hackett said.
“We’ve looked at that and acknowledged in the context of this amenity provision that it is important for people to have breakout areas where they can go and have their lunch and get away from where they are operating.”
Mr Hackett said that setting aside portions of land for public recreation facilities could also assist in the federal environmental approvals process.
“It is becoming more and more important in attaining approvals that you have ecological linkages of bushland that needs to be preserved,” he said.
“If you can utilise that to also deliver amenity to potential users of that industrial park then that’s a good outcome.”
Mr Hackett noted café and coffee roaster Brew-Ha, which has its flagship store in Subiaco and another franchise in Wangara’s Enterprise Park, was a poignant example of the increased amenity of industrial estates.
LandCorp’s design guidelines for its new industrial estates have also become the catalyst for the revitalisation of surrounding industrial areas.
Town of Kwinana chief executive Neil Hartley said the town had made significant investment in its existing industrial precincts after reviewing LandCorp’s design guidelines for the Flinders Precinct at Henderson.
“We were very keen to make sure the other part of the industrial area in Kwinana wasn’t left behind as soon as LandCorp got started, so that was part of the initiative,” Mr Hartley said.
Mr Hartley said the application of the design guidelines and alterations to Kwinana’s town planning scheme had resulted in added value for industrial land users.
Part of the design guidelines include the removal of minimum setbacks from road verges, allowing for more efficient uses of land.
“We found that we could allow higher plot ratios throughout the whole industrial area, which makes it a more profitable arrangement for businesses because they can get a better return on their block price.”