Northern Beaches Business Park at ex Roche site set to offer jobs
A new business park has got the go ahead on the northern beaches and could create up to 600 new jobs. The $44m development will be stationed at the former headquarters of Roche pharmaceutical company.
Manly
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A new business park will be built on the northern beaches and could create up to 600 new jobs.
The $44m development at the site of the iconic former headquarters of pharmaceutical company, Roche, in Cromer, will see the creation of a new industrial area called Northern Beaches Business Park.
The land bordered by Inman, South Creek and Orlando roads and Campbell Ave will include self-storage facilities, commercial office space, a cafe, and 11 warehouse and distribution units.
Sean Fleming, associate director of developer EG, said the site represents one of the largest employment renewal opportunities on the northern beaches.
“The northern beaches has been starved of any industrial development for quite a long time,” he said.
“This will give local businesses the opportunity to domicile on the northern beaches instead of having to go further afield to say western or south west Sydney.
“It will bring job opportunities for local businesses and local residents.”
He said he expected the office space to cater for between 350 and 500 people, with another 100 to 250 in the warehouses, as well as construction jobs.
The business park will not just be aimed at traditional industrial users, such as manufacturing, according to Mr Fleming.
He said tech companies, microbreweries and gyms are increasingly looking for space in business parks.
Development Director at EG, Grant Flannigan, said the project has the potential to be a place of innovation catering for “creative and hi-tech industries” with modern warehouses hosting ‘start-up’ incubators.
While seven buildings on the 7ha site, which EG bought in 2017 for $55m, will be demolished, important heritage elements will be preserved, including former Roche office buildings, a residence, associated landscape features and the iconic hexagonal five-storey tower.
One heritage building will house a cafe.
Roche had a long history on the peninsula.
It began making and distributing its products, including the anxiety drug Valium, soluble vitamin Berocca as well as Pantene shampoo and conditioners, from Cromer in 1964 on what was once land used for market gardens.
There was also a laboratory on the site for creating potential new products from marine plants and animals.
Manufacturing on the site finished in 2007, leaving about 50 per cent of the buildings vacant.
Work on creating the new business park is expected to begin before Christmas with the main construction beginning early next year with the aim of completing it by the end of September.
