CSR considers demolishing Horsley Park factory and selling land in blocks

A manufacturer operating from a massive site in Horsley Park has filed an application to demolish its factory, placing the future of a few dozen jobs in question.

CSR has filed an application to demolish its brick manufacturing plant in Horsley Park. Picture: Supplied

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A major business could demolish its factory in Horsley Park and sell the 20ha of land it sits on in parcels, according to an application seeking council approval.

CSR Limited, a 160-year-old business which makes construction materials including PGH Bricks, owned 72ha of land in the industrial corridor of Horsley Park.

But as the development of nearby Western Sydney Airport draws investor interest, the company has been making moves to sell off its assets.

Last year, they sold 10ha of surplus land for $58 million, and this year they’re selling another 20.

Now the company has filed an application to demolish the CSR Bricks and Pavers factory on its site at 327 Burley Rd – a facility employing about 30 people – at a cost estimated at $1.5 million.

CSR has filed a demolition application for its brick manufacturing plant in Horsley Park. Picture: Google Maps

The application represents one option CSR is considering in the future, general manager of investment relations at CSR, Andree Taylor, said.

“There’s no imminent decision (to demolish the brick plant),” she said.

“It’s just to give future flexibility, to show ‘here’s what the future plan could look like’.

“It can be years before things progress through the system.”

The 20 acres was previously broken up in a subdivision application filed in 2013. As a result, the land could be sold off as eight separate lots for industrial use.

Ms Taylor acknowledged selling the land in lots is one of the options CSR is currently exploring.

“We’re always assessing what our brick needs are versus what our demand for land is in the area,” she said.

“At the moment, the best option is to work on the surplus land.”

She said the factory is currently fully operational.

CSR’s Horsley Park property falls in a key industrial corridor surrounding the upcoming Western Sydney Airport, the advent of which has drawn investment to the area.

Last year the company sold 10 hectares of its surplus land to Frasers Property Group for $58 million. This year it’s offloading twice as much.

Meanwhile, the company’s brick plant in Cecil Park will become the new town centre under an inter-government plan to redevelop the semi-rural suburb with thousands of homes.