By Deanne Jeffers
AFTER more than 20 years in the making, construction is finally set to begin next week on Stage 1 of the GV Link Enterprise Park at 250 Toolamba Road, Mooroopna. The milestone was marked with a sod-turning ceremony on Thursday, April 10, officially launching the $24.8M project.
Locals driving along Toolamba Road may have noticed the updated signage and wondered what is happening. The answer: A major step forward in industrial land for Greater Shepparton.
GV Link is a new enterprise park designed to attract large-scale commercial and industrial investment to the region. Greater Shepparton Mayor, Cr Shane Sali, said the project addresses a critical shortage of large, well-connected industrial land in the region.
“We hear so often that people want to live in Greater Shepparton. There’s been a massive residential boom coming out of COVID, but there’s also been a big boom in business in our region. People want to do business in our region, and there’s a lack of industrial land, not only right across regional Victoria or the state, but also the country,” said Cr Sali.
The first stage includes the development of four fully serviced industrial lots. Works will involve site clearing and earthworks, internal road construction, drainage infrastructure, catchment basins, fencing, landscaping, and essential service connections such as water and gas. The intersection of Toolamba and Simson Roads will also be upgraded to a roundabout to improve access and traffic flow.
BMD Construction has been awarded the contract for Stage 1, with completion expected by December 2025, weather permitting. BMD Urban National General Manager David Moody said the company aims to source 80 per cent of project supplies locally.
The construction phase is anticipated to support approximately 80 direct and 70 indirect jobs. By 2036, operating businesses within Stage 1 are expected to generate around 720 direct and 540 indirect jobs.
Greg Stevens, Regional Operations Manager for BMD and a Kialla resident, said the project’s local significance was a key motivator.
“Many of our team members live locally, so this is a great opportunity to deliver something really meaningful for our own community,” he said. “We’re working with council on developing strategies to mitigate the impact on the community. We recognise being local, the Echuca Road works were quite a disruption, so there’s a bit of fatigue in the community. We are really looking at strategies to mitigate some of that through our works.”
Cr Sali echoed that sentiment, adding that long-term planning is already underway to support the increased traffic.
“The additional traffic is about supporting the development we’re beginning now, but also preparing for future business needs,” he said. “That’s why in our current Federal Government funding request we’ve included significant investment for the Toolamba Road Interchange.”
GV Link Enterprise Park is funded by $9.6M from the Federal Government, comprising of $1.1M through the Local Roads Community Infrastructure Program and $8.5M through repurposed rail freight funding. Council committed $14.4M to the project, much of which is expected to be recouped through land sales in Stage 1.
