Western Freight Management plans truck depot for Citiswich Business Park in Bundamba, Ipswich off Warrego Highway

A New South Wales trucking company has submitted plans to set up a base in Queensland’s largest industrial development in Ipswich. Here’s what is proposed.

Western Freight Management has submitted plans for a new truck depot in Bundamba to Ipswich City Council.

There is plenty of activity happening at Queensland’s largest industrial development and new plans have now been submitted to construct a huge truck depot on a vacant block.

The 350-hectare Citiswich Business Park, which is home to Costco, has been steadily growing in recent years just off the Warrego Highway in Ipswich.

The Bundamba business park caters to logistics, manufacturing, construction and wholesale retail businesses, with KSB Australia, IOR and Hume Masterpanel among some of the companies to set up base there.

Work on a $370 million facility producing deployable military hospitals and equipment for the Australian Defence Force to be operated by Saab in the estate started in May.

Western Freight Management Pty Ltd has submitted a development application to Ipswich City Council for land at 61 Hoepner Road.

The family-owned business’ head office is in western Sydney with other locations around New South Wales and in Melbourne.

The proposed truck depot on a one hectare site will be made up of a 1987 m2 warehouse, a 368 m2 office and amenities over two levels.

“The development also proposes a 70,000 litre diesel fuel tank and a dedicated truck wash bay to facilitate the proposal,” the application noted.

“A total of 13 car parking spaces will be provided and associated landscaping.”

The vacant block has already been cleared of vegetation and a pre-lodgement meeting held with council officers in August was met with support of the project proceeding.

“The site is in proximity to key transport routes including the Warrego Highway (north) and Cunningham Highway (east),” the application noted.

Work started on Saab’s $370 million facility in Bundamba in May. Picture: Dan Peled

“Immediately surrounding land uses include a mixture of low and medium impact industry uses with low-density residential dwellings located further east, south and south-west of the site.”

A permit for general industry for the land was approved in September last year but the new plans were “substantially different” and required a new approval.

The depot is proposed to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Plans also include a 1987 m2 workshop, 60m2 gatehouse, two 75,000 litre rainwater tanks and road access to both Hopner Road and Materpanel Lane to accommodate B-double sized trucks.

“The proposed development has a predicted peak hour traffic generation of 33 vehicles in the AM and PM peak and a daily traffic generation of 108 vehicle trips,” the application noted.

“The proposed traffic generation is not anticipated to significantly impact the operations of the adjacent road network.

“Due to the proximity of the site to the Warrego Highway, a large amount of traffic is expected to utilise the higher order road, with its benefits of higher travel speed and capacity, lessening the impacts to the local road network.”

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