September 2015

September 2015 Construction Update

Stages 9 and 15 both commenced this month, with earthworks, stormwater drainage and sewer works well underway. Water reticulation in these stages has also been completed.

Merrifield Business Park Dulux Case Study

Pictured: Executive General Manager for Dulux, Pat Jones at the Merrifield Business Park Launch

Dulux is the first company to announce an occupancy at Merrifield Business Park, with the construction of a $165 million water-based paints factory on a 17 ha site.

Creating more than 60 new ongoing jobs and 200 jobs during the construction phase, the multi-decade investment from Dulux is one of the largest industrial freehold land deals in Victoria in recent years.

We sat down with Dulux to learn more about what attracted them to the Merrifield Business Park.

How does Merrifield Business Park complement Dulux’s business plan and vision for the future?

Dulux’s market leading position is built on quality through innovation. This is an important investment for Dulux which will set up our world class Australian paints business for decades to come. It will be the largest coatings factory in Australia or New Zealand.

We are investing in a state of the art paint factory that will allow us to step into the next generation of paint manufacturing technology and innovation. A facility of this nature requires very specific requirements, so we set out to identify a suitable location. Merrifield ticked all the boxes.

What initially attracted Dulux to Merrifield Business Park as the site for its new paint manufacturing facility?

There were three major benefits that attracted us to Merrifield – its proximity to major transport infrastructure, its position in a high growth corridor and the flexibility of the land available.

With a large proportion of the Australian population located on the east coast, the ability to transport raw materials and finished goods to the entire eastern seaboard was vital.

Access to a skilled workforce nearby was also an important factor, and being in a growth corridor, there was also the potential for our business to grow along with the community.

Importantly, it was necessary to find a large piece of land on an industrial estate suitable for this type of production. Merrifield offered flexible options so we could secure a larger lot, giving us the option of expanding our facility down the track as the business grows. The Merrifield team’s involvement in this was terrific – they tailored the land options to exactly what we required.

What benefits will the Dulux facility provide to the direct and wider regions?

We are bringing to the Hume region what is certainly the most advanced facility for manufacturing water-based paints in the southern hemisphere. This cutting edge technology will be complemented by a beautifully designed facility, which we hope will embody the iconic Dulux brand.

Dulux’s heritage in Australia dates back to 1918 and Dulux has long been Australia’s leading paint brand. In fact Dulux is consistently voted one of the most trusted brand in Australia overall – across any product category. We’ve fostered a positive presence in the broader community and we aim to create a similar connection in Melbourne’s north.

Merrifield in the Herald Sun

Herald Sun (Melbourne), Melbourne, 26 Sep 2015

THE multi-use Merrifield development in Melbourne’s north will create a “new city” comprising more than 5000 homes, a 110ha waterfront city centre, and a 330ha business park offering more than 20,000 new jobs.

When completed, Merrifield will offer buyers a combination of living, leisure and work solutions in one destination.

Land releases at Merrifield cater to a broad range of buyers designed to accommodate the latest home designs.

The display village showcases 35 homes from 18 leading home builders.

Residents will enjoy a real sense of arrival at Merrifield, with a multi-million dollar landscaped entry featuring a sculpture created by renowned Melbourne artist Alexander Knox.

The neighbourhood park enhances the lifestyle of locals, with state-of-the-art play and sports equipment for kids of all ages, including a multi-use sports court, trampolines, a wave climbing net and slide, musical poles and swings.

The vast Merrifield Park abutting the development is a state initiative with potential for a lake, boardwalks, walking trails, as well as sports and recreation facilities.

Community and recreational amenities will include four schools (two primary and two secondary), a kindergarten, maternal and child health care, meeting rooms, a council library and an aquatic centre. Medical and health facilities, including a hospital, are also proposed.

The 110ha Merrifield city centre will be a vibrant retail, leisure and community enclave featuring retail hubs, supermarkets and fresh food stores as well as casual and formal dining and entertainment options along the waterfront to Merrifield Park.

Located next to the residential and city centre precincts, the 330ha Merrifield Business Park is set to be a key business and employment hub, playing a crucial role in Melbourne’s northern growth corridor.

Merrifield is 30km from Melbourne’s CBD and 15 minutes from Melbourne Airport.

The development has direct access to the Hume Freeway from Donnybrook Rd, the Donnybrook railway station is nearby and new bus services are also on the way.

Business park to bring jobs north

Northern Star Weekly, Melbourne, 15 Sep 2015, by Lexi Cottee

Construction is under way on a $1.2 billion business park at Mickleham that will create almost 7000 jobs during the building phase alone.

The park is part of the Merrifield project, a joint venture between Melbourne-based MAB Corporation and Gibson Property Corporation, which is transforming 770 hectares into a commercial, residential and industrial precinct.

Last Wednesday, MAB Corporation co-founder Andrew Buxton welcomed Premier Daniel Andrews, Hume mayor Adem Atmaca and other state MPs to look at plans and drawings for the 330-hectare business park.

Once completed, the business park is projected to generate up to 11,000 direct and 25,000 indirect jobs, representing 16-26 per cent of Hume’s jobs growth by 2036.

Paint manufacture Dulux was the first major business to announce it would move in.

In March, the company revealed it would relocate some of its paint operations from Sydney and Brisbane to a new $165 million plant at
Mickleham by 2017.

Its new distribution centre is expected to start operating mid to late next year.

Mr Andrews said the Merrifield development would provide a significant economic boost for the state.

“This business park, upon completion, will support more than 30,000 jobs and that’s great for Melbourne’s north and great for our state.”

Mr Buxton said the park’s location was a drawcard for some of Australia’s biggest businesses.

“Merrifield’s positioning near major transport infrastructure, chiefly the Hume Freeway, servicing the east coast, Melbourne International airport and Somerton Intermodal Terminal with access to the Port of Melbourne, will allow businesses to access local, regional and interstate markets 24/7,” Mr Buxton said.

He said the company’s vision was to create a community in which people could live, shop and work close to their own home.

In 2013, then planning minister Matthew Guy described Mickleham as a “20-minute” city, based on the principle of working close to home.

Reasons to Move Your Business to Merrifield

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIKo9uRL_es

Work under way on Merrifield Business Park

By Simon Johanson, Property Editor for The Age – click here to view

MAB Corporation and Gibson Property Corporation have kicked off construction of its $1.2 billion Merrifield Business Park as Merrifield finalises negotiations for a joint venture with a major shopping centre player to roll out an 80,000-square-metre mall in the same mixed-use estate.

The business park in the 770-hectare Merrifield project on Melbourne’s northern outskirts next to Donnybrook Road and the Hume Freeway was launched on Wednesday by Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and Planning Minister Richard Wynne.

The 330-hectare park has 1.2 million square metres of industrial and commercial floor space. Listed paint maker Dulux committed in March to build a $165 million water-based paint manufacturing plant on a 17-hectare anchor site.

Dulux Group project manager Kevin Worrell said it would move most of its Australian water-based paint manufacturing to Merrifield, delivering “significant financial and operational benefits”.

MAB managing director Andrew Buxton said the company was in discussions with seven other prospective manufacturers, transport and logistics firms to take another 47 hectares.

MAB has also signed a joint venture with an institutional shopping centre operator for a mall on the estate larger than Eastland in Ringwood or Werribee Plaza in the west.

“We’ve done a deal on 30 hectares to start developing the shopping centre,” he said.

The group was waiting for final planning permits before announcing the partnership.

The business park is expected to support up to 11,000 jobs and another 20,000 indirect workers when complete, Essential Economics analysis suggests.

“We want to have everything you’ve got in Melbourne’s east: private schools, community facilities, offices and residences,” Mr Buxton said.

Much of Merrifield is still paddocks.

However, MAB chief operating officer David Hall said a 330-hectare residential component, established two years ago, would have 2000 houses by 2018.

When complete over the next 20 to 30 years, Merrifield will become an integrated satellite city suburb with a retail and civic centre, offices, higher-density living, about 4000 homes for 12,000 people and 380 hectares of parkland.

Other developers, Evolve and Villawood, also have projects in the area which is expected to grow to about 250,000 people. On the other side of the Hume Highway lies Stockland’s Lockerbie Estate.

Mr Hall said MAB’s experience at its University Hill mixed-use project in Bundoora showed there was strong interest in co-locating residential, office and industrial facilities.

“Many people want to have a small business close to where they live. That’s who’s gone into our commercial spaces, strata offices at Uni Hill,” he said.

The launch of the Merrifield Business Park is timely for MAB. Its Alliance Business Park in Epping is nearing capacity with just 15 per cent of space to fill.

Addressing A Bigger Australia: How To Create A Successful Mixed-Use Community

Published on the Urban Developer website – click here to view.

By David Hall, COO Of MAB Corporation

The rapid growth of our nation’s population and the scale of our major cities is leading to congested roads and longer commutes, according to the Grattan Institute’s City Limits report.

Whilst residential development construction is on the rise, without the supporting amenities and employment opportunities, further housing will only exasperate these issues.

For developers and our country’s planners, the population boom presents the opportunity to establish integrated communities that bring an end to the traffic jams and tiring commutes. These hubs span residential, commercial and retail precincts, creating a self-sufficient community.

When we conceptualised the idea of our first mixed-use development, University Hill in Bundoora, Melbourne, our vision was to create a place where people could work, live, socialise and rest in the one space. And we drew on this experience when planning a 770 hectare mixed-use community, Merrifield in Mickleham, set to be the largest in Victoria.

But what does it take to plan and execute such a large scale project?

Create employment opportunities

A prosperous, sustainable mixed-use community hinges on creating jobs close to where people live. It is also important to provide a greater diversity of jobs accessible to people living in growth areas. This is because businesses and residents are drawn to regions which offer economic prospects – what could be considered as job clusters.

For example, forecasts reveal that Merrifield will accommodate 25,000 jobs with 11,000 of these jobs in the Merrifield Business Park. It will also contribute up to 26 percent of future employment growth for the City of Hume. Future residents will be drawn to Merrifield’s residential precinct as they can now work close to home.

For employers, it means a wider pool of potential employees, all who live a five-minute drive from work. In fact, one of Australia’s leading paint manufacturers Dulux will bring a new paint manufacturing facility to Merrifield, creating 65 direct jobs and close to 300 construction jobs in Melbourne’s north.

Select the right location

As with any development, residential or commercial, finding the right location is invaluable to the project. When scoping mixed-use sites, it’s important to consider the needs and desires of both future residents and businesses looking to move there.

For businesses, placement near key transport links is attractive as they can service markets efficiently and effectively. As transport costs increase and Australia’s east coast population grows, sites which provide accessible transport and logistics routes to the eastern seaboard will be high in demand.

For instance, Merrifield Business Park is located near Victoria’s major transport hubs with access to the Hume Freeway, Melbourne Airport, the Port of Melbourne and local and interstate railway lines enabling companies to easily access our eastern seaboard, west coast and international markets. The strategic positioning was a driving factor behind Dulux’s decision to construct its new facility in Merrifield.

For residents – and businesses for that matter – knowing there is growth potential in the area is also critical. Essentially, an area earmarked for growth signals to businesses and residents that they will be part of a thriving community and economy.

Build amenities for occupants

People moving into new communities expect to have access to services that are available in the established parts of our cities. This includes cafes, restaurants and shops – but more importantly plans for schools, neighbourhood parks and health facilities which can provide a comfortable, accessible lifestyle to residents. Our research shows that access to employment precincts also plays a critical part in people’s choice in where to live.

These facilities are important for businesses too. Businesses willing to retain quality staff are looking for locations that have access to facilities including retail, childcare and restaurants.

Creating a mixed-use community is no easy feat – and these are just some of the factors developers and urban planners need to consider. What’s for certain is that with population growth, it’s essential that we focus on creating sustainable communities within our large metropolitan cities, particularly in growth areas.

David Hall is Chief Operating Officer of MAB Corporation (MAB) a privately owned property development company that has been successfully operating since 1995. Established and owned by fifth generation Melbourne property identities, Michael and Andrew Buxton, MAB has activities in residential, retail, commercial and business park developments, as well as an investments management business. Today, MAB in partnership with Gibson Property Corporation launched the business park in Merrifield, the largest master planned urban development in Victoria, offering over 5000 homes, a 330 hectare business park, city centre and wetlands, once complete.

Merrifield Business Park Launch Images

Merrifield Business Park Construction To Kick Off Soon

Published on the Urban Developer website, 10 September 2015. Click here to view.

Construction of the $1.2 billion Merrifield Business Park in Melbourne’s north will commence in the next three months.

Joint venture partners MAB Corporation and Gibson Property Corporation made the announcement at the sod turning ceremony yesterday as new figures revealed the development would generate up to $3.5 billion annually.

Upon completion, the 330 ha Merrifield Business Park will offer 1.2 million square metres of industrial and commercial floor space. The business park is part of the broader Merrifield project, pegged to be Victoria’s largest fully master-planned mixed-use community, and will provide the state with a significant economic boost.

An economic assessment of the project by Essential Economics revealed that Merrifield will deliver 25,000 direct jobs, while the business park alone will accommodate up to 20,000 indirect jobs once complete. An additional 2,700 direct jobs and up to 4,000 indirect jobs will be created during construction of the business park over the next 20 years.

Premier Daniel Andrews said the development of the largest business park in Victoria would provide the state with a significant economic boost.

“This business park upon completion will support over 30,000 jobs and that is great for Melbourne’s north and great for our state.”

DuluxGroup is the first company to announce a significant investment at Merrifield with the construction of a new state-of-the-art water-based paint factory on a 17ha site.

DuluxGroup will join a long list of major tenants in Melbourne’s north including OneSteel, Visy, Mainfreight, TNT, Toll Group and both Coles and Woolworths distribution centres.

Merrifield has received interest from businesses across a variety of sectors including food services, logistics and warehousing as well as white collar businesses as a result of the site’s flexible land use. Lot sizes range from 1 ha up to 50 ha and are located in a Comprehensive Development Zone, which is suitable for a range of commercial uses.

MAB Corporation Managing Director Andrew Buxton said Merrifield’s location is a major drawcard for businesses.

“Merrifield’s positioning near major transport infrastructure – chiefly the Hume Freeway servicing the east coast, Melbourne International airport, and Somerton Intermodal Terminal with access to the Port of Melbourne – will allow businesses to access local, regional and interstate markets 24/7,” said Mr Buxton.

Construction Begins on Mickleham Business Park

Click here to read the original article by Lexi Cottee for Star Weekly, 9 September 2015.

Construction is underway on a $1.2 billion business park in Mickleham that will create almost 2700 direct jobs while under construction.

The business park is part of the Merrifield project, a joint venture between Melbourne-based MAB Corporation and Gibson Property Corporation that will gradually transform 770-hectares into a commercial, residential and industrial precinct.

At a sod turning ceremony on Wednesday, MAB Corporation co-founder Andrew Buxton welcomed Premier Daniel Andrews, Hume mayor Adem Atmaca and other state members to the site to look at renders and plans for the 330-hectare business park development.

Once complete, the business park is projected to accommodate up to 11,000 direct jobs and between 16 and 26 per cent of future employment growth in Hume.

Paint manufacture Dulux was the first major business to announce it would move into Merrifield. In March the company revealed it would relocate some of its paint operations from Sydney and Brisbane to a new $165 billion plant in Mickleham by 2017.

Its new distribution centre is slated to start operating in mid to late 2016.

Mr Andrews said the Merrifield development would provide the state with a significant economic boost.

“Victoria continues to create jobs and attract businesses from around the world,” he said.

“This business park upon completion will support over 30,000 jobs and that is great for Melbourne’s north and great for our state.”

Mr Buxton said the business park’s location was a drawcard for some of Australia’s biggest businesses.

“Merrifield’s positioning near major transport infrastructure, chiefly the Hume Freeway servicing the east coast, Melbourne International airport, and Somerton Intermodal Terminal with access to the Port of Melbourne, will allow businesses to access local, regional and interstate markets 24/7,” said Mr Buxton.

He said the company’s vision for the entire Merrifield project was to create a community so that people could live, shop and work close to where they lived.

When the project was officially launched in 2013, then planning minister Matthew Guy said it was a perfect example of the “20-minute” city central to Plan Melbourne and based on the principal of living and working locally.

MAB and GPC Open Merrifield Park

As written by Simon Johanson, published in The Age, 9 September 2015.

MAB Corporation and Gibson Property Corporation have kicked off construction of its $1.2 billion Merrifield Business Park as it finalises negotiations for a joint venture with a major shopping centre player to roll out an 80,000-square-metre mall in the same mixed-use estate.

Listed paint maker Dulux committed in March to build a $165 million water based paint manufacturing plant on a 17-hectare anchor site. Dulux Group project manager Kevin Worrell said it would move most of its Australian water-based paint manufacturing to Merrifield, delivering ‘‘significant financial and operational benefits’’.

Managing director Andrew Buxton said MAB was in discussions with seven other prospective manufacturers, transport and logistics firms to take another 47 hectares. Merrifield has also signed a joint venture with an institutional shopping centre operator for a mall on the estate larger than Eastland in Ringwood or Werribee Plaza in the west. ‘‘We’ve done a deal on 30 hectares to start developing the shopping centre,’’ he said. The group was waiting for final planning permits before announcing the partnership.

The business park is expected to support up to 11,000 jobs and another 20,000 indirect workers when complete, Essential Economics analysis suggests. ‘‘We want to have everything you’ve got in Melbourne’s east: private schools, community facilities, offices and residences,’’ Mr Buxton said.

Much of Merrifield, a joint venture with Gibson Property Corporation, is still paddocks. However, Merrifield chief operating officer David Hall said a 330-hectare residential component, established two years ago, would have 2000 houses by 2018. When complete over the next 20 to 30 years, Merrifield will become an integrated satellite city suburb with a retail and civic centre, offices, higher-density living, about 4000 homes for 12,000 people and 380 hectares of parkland.

Other developers, Evolve and Villawood, also have projects in the area which is expected to grow to about 250,000 people. On the other side of the Hume Highway lies Stockland’s Lockerbie Estate.

Mr Hall said MAB’s experience at its University Hill mixed-use project in Bundoora showed there was strong interest in co-locating residential, office and industrial facilities. ‘‘Many people want to have a small business close to where they live. That’s who’s gone into our commercial spaces, strata offices at Uni Hill.’’

The launch of the Merrifield Business Park is timely for MAB. Its Alliance Business Park in Epping is nearing capacity with just 15 per cent of space to fill.

Hubs Boom

As written by Olga Galacho, published in The Herald Sun, 9 September 2015.

Construction will soon start on a huge business park in Melbourne’s north in a project expected to inject $3.5 billion a year into the northern metropolitan economy.

Premier Daniel Andrews is due today to announce the launch of the Merrifield Business Park development, with 20,000 jobs to be created through the project. The Hawksburn Place site is at Mickleham — a growth corridor suburb 34km from the CBD.

The project is a venture between the privately owned Buxton family company, MAB Corporation, and Gibson Property Corporation. It is one of a string of business hubs proposed or under way on the fringes of Melbourne’s metropolitan area. With space for thousands of enterprises, there are concerns of a glut if they fail to emerge over the next two years. MAB has two other business centres in development in the northern suburbs — Alliance Business Park in Epping and University Hill in Bundoora.

Last month, business park developer Wilmac Properties announced it would partner with Folkestone to create Millers Junction Business, a $35 million hub in the City of Hobsons Bay. Work on Millers Junction, made up of more than 70 selfcontained properties, was due to begin this month. At the same time, Melbourne Airport’s industrial park is expanding in a project expected to take 10 years over many stages. When complete, it will have warehouses, offices and retail outlets across 184,000 sq m. According to a report by Colliers International, work has started on 250,000 sqm of land earmarked for industrial use in Melbourne, with a further 250,000 sq m planned for development. However, the report points out it is “unlikely that all of the proposed developments will go ahead”.

The Merrifield project is expected to sprawl over 330 ha. Although detailed plans and drawings have not been made public, MAB says construction will start within the next four months. The business park is integral to a larger masterplanned hub that will have a town centre and 4000 homes. Paint giant Dulux has already signalled it is moving operations to the business park.

Billion Dollar Business Park To Bring More Jobs To Melbourne’s North

Click here to read the media release from the office of the Premier of Victoria, 9 September 2015.

Premier Daniel Andrews has launched a $1.2 billion business park in Melbourne’s north, welcoming more jobs and investment to our thriving northern suburbs.

The Merrifield Project, which includes the business park, is a joint venture between Melbourne-based MAB Corporation and Gibson Property Corporation, and will create 25,000 direct jobs in Melbourne’s north.

The construction of the 330 ha business park will see an additional 2700 direct and 4000 indirect jobs created over the building timeline.

Mr Andrews said the business park was drawing interest across industries and would support a range of jobs around the outer suburbs.

DuluxGroup will be one of the first companies to set up at Merrifield, with the construction of a $165 million water-based decorative paint factory housing 60 new jobs and another 200 created during construction.

Melbourne’s population is growing by about 100,000 people each year and about half of those people will be accommodated in our growing outer suburban communities.

More than 83,000 new jobs are set to be created in the northern growth corridor and Merrifield Business Park will drive investment and support thousands of families in the surrounding suburbs.

The Andrews Labor Government is working to make our outer suburbs more liveable for families, by supporting jobs, building infrastructure and providing more affordable housing.

Quotes attributable to Premier of Victoria Daniel Andrews

“Families moving into our new outer suburbs like Merrifield deserve strong opportunities and liveable communities, and developments like these will build that close to home.”

“This will be an industry-leading business park that will bring jobs and growth to Melbourne’s north.”

Quotes attributable to Minister for Planning Richard Wynne

“This development sets a high standard for the Melbourne market. This is a quality project which will have a positive flow-on to the surrounding community and economy for generations to come.”

“This development shows what happens when long-term plans are strategically introduced. Melbourne’s fast rate of growth is a challenge, but we see the opportunities solid growth offers.”

Quotes attributable to the Member for Yuroke Ros Spence

“The jobs that this development brings, means that Melbourne’s outer north can go from strength to strength.”

Quotes attributable to the Member for Yan Yean Danielle Green

“Whether it’s building new schools in our fast growing suburbs or funding the needed transport links, the Andrews Labor Government is working to ensure that Melbourne’s newest suburbs get the services they need.”

August 2015

August saw the achievement of the Statement of Compliance for stages 7 and 8, and expect titles for both stages to come through in September.

Practical completion was awarded for stage 6, for which we are currently working with the relevant authorities to gain Statement of Compliance, expected to occur mid-September with titles to follow in October.

Works are progressing on program for Stages 9 and 15, and practical completion was awarded by council on landscaping works in Stage 5. With the last month of winter having seen some of our highest sale numbers yet, we look forward to seeing what spring will bring!