Cr Terry Fleischfresser
October 13, 2017
The South Burnett Regional Council has given development approval to two local business expansion projects … and they’re unlikely to be the last.
Kingaroy electricians Astill’s Electrical Solar, who currently operate from industrial sheds in Kingaroy’s Stolzenberg Road, have been given approval to build an electrical workshop and offices on a portion of a block of land at 16 Kingaroy Street.
And peanut processors Crumpton & Sons Pty Ltd have been given approval build a new peanut seed processing plant on the company’s Bunya Highway property south of Taylors Road.
Both businesses’ expansion plans got the thumbs up from Councillors at Wednesday’s Council meeting.
On Friday, Astill’s CEO Mick Astill told southburnett.com.au his eight year old company was purchasing a portion of a vacant block next to the Elgas refuelling facility at the head of Kingaroy’s industrial estate to erect a new building.
The business provides air-conditioning, solar and general electrical services, and has expanded its employee numbers from 13 to 18 during the past year.
Mick said he had been planning the expansion for at least a year because the company’s current office space was simply too small.
When built, the L-shaped building will have a workshop down one side, offices and display rooms and a customer car park out front.
A driveway down the side of the allotment will allow another owner to access sheds they intend to build on the rear of the block at some time in the future.
Mick said Yesbergs Earthmoving have already been engaged to begin cut and fill earthworks to prepare the block and should begin working on the site in about a week, weather permitting.
All going well, Astill’s hope to have the new building open to the public by April next year.
Meanwhile, Crumpton and Sons plan to use two large blocks formerly owned by Carsburg Grains and Transport to expand their peanut seed processing operations.
At Wednesday’s meeting the Council approved a reconfiguration of the two lots that will see one shrink from 15.92Ha to 11.85Ha, and the other expand from 3.93Ha to 8.1Ha to accommodate the new seed processing plant.
The council also approved a material change of use for the rural zoned land.
Officers said the proposed use was appropriate for a site that has a rural amenity, but an amended condition will see three metre buffer zones put on the property’s southern and northern boundaries to shield neighbours from dust and noise.
Crumpton and Sons has undergone significant expansion over the past five years and are now producing their own seed lines for growers from a small shed located next to the South Burnett Rail Trail at Crawford.
The new shed on the former Carsburg Grains site will allow the company to increase its seed production to between 1000 and 2000 tonnes per year, and it expects to bring the project online by 2019.
Planning Portfolio chair Cr Terry Fleischfresser said he welcomed the new developments, which were part of a $1 billion stream of developments and business expansions currently occurring in the region.
He said they showed business had confidence in the future of the South Burnett, and the current downturn in retail did not signify the region was going backwards.
“It makes me proud to see these types of applications coming through,” Cr Fleischfresser said.
“These are both local success stories.
“I think the South Burnett is becoming as popular as Kingaroy was in the early 2000s.”
