A Charters Towers commercial and industrial development has surged ahead, with a string of new buildings coming online in early 2020.
Goldtower Pty Ltd recently completed roadworks for roadtrain access for the 12ha estate and has invested more than $10 million in the project to date. “It is very exciting to see how it is all now finally coming together,” owner Paul McIver said.
“We have taken a bold yet visionary ‘build it and they will come’ approach and already we are seeing incredible interest from possible tenants even as far away as Melbourne who are in discussion with us. “It’s been a very slow hard job trying to get (Flinders) Highway access for this site and everything else is falling into place as we speak. We have installed underground power, sewerage, town water and right now the street lights are being installed.”
Charters Towers Regional Council chief executive officer Aaron Johansson said the council was looking forward to the ongoing development of Goldtower and the benefits it would bring to the whole community. “Investment in our region provides local employment opportunities in construction and has a positive effect on other non-related construction industries such as accommodation, hospitality, retail and tourism,” Mr Johansson said.
The Goldtower developers believe they are in a good position to attract suppliers of Adani’s Carmichael coal project and other mines and projects in the region. The Goldtower business model is to build and lease facilities at the site. “We will build anything for anyone,” Mr McIver said. The initial building (built in 2007, Tower 1) was used by a local tyre business and then as bulk storage base for export for Agripower before more recently acting as a storage area to support the on-site construction work.
The company is putting the finishing touches on Tower 2, with 1400sq m floor space. Mr McIver said Towers 3, 4 and 5 offered A-grade office space with granite flooring, sound-proof glass, air-conditioning and individual amenities. These offices are available in either 400sqm or 200sqm formats.
All are expected to be complete by February and Mr McIver said tenants were lined up waiting to move into Towers 1-2 and 5. “The next building is Tower 8 – a 4131sqm commercial industrial building. We don’t have any tenants for that yet either but ‘build it and they will come’,” he said. Mr McIver said everything in the Goldtower complex had been built to a high standard. All carparks and heavy vehicle turn areas had been concreted and underground power, substation and facilities had been built to cater for any future heavy energy demands.
Goldtower’s on-site managing director Ian Turner has made it his priority to use local contractors. Minns Contractors have carried out all roadworks, Towers Concrete supplied all concrete to site and Towers Engineering have carried out steel work and fabrication. Adrian Bell Builders have built Towers 2-5, Hammer and Co. Earthmoving levelled the blocks of land, Mossman Homes outfitted Tower 3-5 offices, and Herbert Hall and Hollimans were used for building material supplies. Other local contractors involved included Browns Pumps, Rev Cranes, Jett Industries, Chris Ives signs, Hi-Tech Solutions, Crouch Enterprises (NQ), and DTS Service Centre.
https://www.i-q.net.au/main/goldtower-development-on-a-roll-at-charters-towers
