"Already land values in The Mill Industrial Park are outperforming neighbouring sites in Albany and Hobsonville.
"As the transport infrastructure improves to the west of Auckland, and especially with the estimated completion of the State Highway 20 Waterview Connection in 2016-17, the remaining sites at The Mill will become a highly attractive proposition for a wide range of industrial occupiers".
Laery says the latest offer of sites at The Mill gives companies the opportunity "to beat the rush".
"It's a chance for industrial firms to design and build their own facilities at a good price in a well thought-out subdivision zoned for a wide range of uses in a fast-growing area before further development pushes prices up."
Laery says large users could be accommodated in the industrial park by combining adjoining lots to make a site in excess of 3ha.
"By the time their buildings are up, the prices will almost certainly have risen," she says.
Jonathan Polglase, development manager for The Mill Industrial Park says the subdivision is named after a former Carters mill on the site.
"When we purchased the site it was an old defunct saw mill that had been sold by Carters 10 years earlier. We saw the opportunity to take something that was run down which could provide an answer to a shortage of industrial land in the region through the development of a range of industrial sites for a market that was crying out for them."
Polglase says that before purchasing the site it had been upgraded to an "unpaved industrial" level, which is an extremely high standard.
"Since then, we have demolished a number of buildings, installed roading, water and services, and created ready-to-build-on sites in park-like surroundings to offer an attractive working environment for a wide range of industrial uses for local and regional businesses."
The 14 available sites sit within the first 10ha stage of industrial lots within the 17ha subdivision, with a second stage of nearly 6ha ready for development "down the track" and 1ha taken up in roading and service areas.
"All sites in The Mill come fully serviced," Polglase says. "We have invested a significant amount in infrastructure including storm water systems, 170sq m-a-day potable water supply from a water bore, and 14sq m-a-day onsite waste water treatment with the capacity to be extended many times that.
"Additionally, the electricity and gas infrastructure is in place, providing flexibility and potentially lower development costs for occupiers of any site. This will be advantageous for anyone looking to generate heat from an alternative source to electricity. We can also accommodate high electricity users via underground cables as required due to being close to high voltage lines."
Polglase says the site has been developed to be sympathetic to the environment and provide a genuine asset to the local community.
"We worked to ensure that what we developed would align with Green Star principles creating one of the few parks in the area with substantial water and waste water systems in place. For example, the stormwater ponds on site not only meet council requirements but they also reduce watercourse pollution via onsite vegetated wetlands --providing an amenity for companies in the location. And, although the consented on-site water use is 170sq m per day, at our own initiative every site needs to collect water off the roof for storage in tanks which ensures two sources are available to each occupier.
"In addition, a 40 million-litre lake that was original created for firefighting purposes is ready for large-scale water use as required."
Laery says that such features give 21 of the 145 unweighted points that are credited towards a Green Star industrial rating for buildings located within the precinct.
"The Mill has provided numerous opportunities to implement environmental features beyond the scope of individual sites and buildings," she says. "Environmentally preferred infrastructure, shared services and amenities have been incorporated into the subdivision to reduce the environmental impact and increase the potential for all future buildings to perform well in Green Star rating assessments."
Laery says there are already eight occupiers of the industrial park, including Freedom Pools, Onsite Solutions and timber treatment company North Treat.
"Another well-known company JSC Timber, an established nationwide firm owned by an Auckland family, has shown its confidence in the future of The Mill by recently purchasing a 1.5ha lot on which to construct its head office. This 3900sq m facility with a lit, fenced and metalled yard is due to be finished at end of the year."
Laery says The Mill is accessed from Forestry Rd running off Deacon Rd and will benefit from a range of new roading developments.
"Not only is the proposed State Highway 16 northwest motorway extension on The Mill's doorstep, but the Western Ring Route motorway currently under construction will link north and south from Manukau through to Albany.
"This new motorway system will pass within only a couple of kilometres of The Mill and become a major trunk line for commercial purposes, allowing north-south traffic to completely bypass the Auckland CBD and have easy access through Albany in the north and to Auckland International Airport in Manukau in the south.
Laery says The Mill and Kumeu itself are exceptionally positioned for the planned future development of Auckland.
"Five minutes' drive away from The Mill, $325 million is being invested with 1500 sections going in at Riverhead, the expansion of the Westgate shopping centre, residential and commercial developments at Hobsonville Point, Whenuapai and in Massey North -- all taking place just 10 minutes from the end of the northwestern motorway.
"With the widening of the causeway of the northwestern motorway and the completion of the Waterview Connection in a couple of years, traffic travelling on the Coatesville Highway to Albany will be only 15 to 20 minutes to the Auckland CBD or to the airport. From The Mill site vehicles won't hit traffic lights until they hit Drury.
"Kumeu will become a thriving area sooner than most people appreciate," Laery says. "With industrial sections at The Mill priced from $250 per square metre - about $100/sq m less than in nearby Hobsonville - this industrial park provides an exceptional location for companies looking to the future."
