MidCoast Council will purchase the former Masters Home Improvement Site in Taree as a commercial land acquisition.
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The matter was raised at a MidCoast Council extraordinary meeting held last night (Thursday, November 2).
Council considered a report in relation to the potential acquisition of the site, located at the corner of Manning River Drive and Biripi Way, Taree.
The site comprises an area of approximately 3.7 hectares consisting of a modern high clearance warehouse facility (9,910 square metres) with polished concrete floors, fully air conditioned and 281 car parking spaces and associated infrastructure.
At the meeting, council decided to purchase the site as a strategic land acquisition.
Council general manager, Glenn Handford said that while this purchase is a commercial opportunity, council is investigating the use of the site as a single headquarters for MidCoast Council.
“The building would allow consolidation of the existing four administration centres in Forster and Taree as there is currently both a council and water services administration centre in both Forster and Taree,” he said.
“Council has not made a formal decision to use the building for this use and any decision of this nature will be subject to further analysis and the preparation of a detailed business case.
“To enable all aspects of the centralised office to be explored we will commence investigations into the feasibility of this significant opportunity and present a business case to council over the next couple of months,” Mr Handford said.
When asked about the purchase amount for the site, a representative from the council said the report was confidential in accordance with section 10A(2)(c) of the Local Government Act 1993, which permitted the meeting to be closed to the public.
The reason for the closure was due to the fact that the information, if disclosed, could give a commercial advantage to a person with whom the council is conducting business.