All community members have been invited to attend a community consultation briefing to hear the latest update regarding the old Portland Cements Works site, The Foundations.
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The meeting will take place at the Portland RSL Club on Friday, August 11 at 5.30pm.
Representatives from site owners AWJ Civil, development managers Catalyst Project Consulting and statutory planning consultants Roberts Day will be in attendance.
Speakers will report on the status of consultant engagement and preparation of the planning proposal for the site’s rezoning.
Those in attendance will also see the site master plan and updated project timelines.
Project planning consultant Kris Leck said the short-term plan was to make the site open to the public by satisfying safety requirements and removing the fences.
In the long-term the site owners are considering several options including residential developments and aged care lots.
"One of the big focuses is to make sure that we're not just shifting something from the town centre as it is at the moment onto our site. We want to do things that really complement and will bring in tourists and residents to the area rather than just take business away in other places," Mr Leck said.
When these developments will occur will depend on market demand.
"Ultimately we'd like to have a small number of lots available to the market hopefully within five years and depending on what the demand is like and what the uptake is like we could see the whole site developed in 10 years or it might take 30 or 40 years," Mr Leck said.
"We're focusing on things around those residential lots that will help attract people to the town of Portland rather than just carve up the land and put it up for sale."
Mr Leck said the project was on track to begin construction by December 2018 despite a delay in securing the ownership of crown land on the site.
He also emphasised how community consultation was an ongoing process.
"Ideas come out of the blue, particularly good ones so we've always got an ear out and avenue for the community to contact us and share their ideas."
Further information about the community briefing and the project itself can be found via enquiries@thefoundations.com.au.
