The state government is calling for
expressions of interest from would-be buyers for the Australian
Technology Park
Australian Technology Park is being sized up for sale as the
state government’s multimillion-dollar divestment of public property
continues apace.
The 13.2-hectare Eveleigh site has been quietly
opened to expressions of interest from would-be buyers over the
Christmas and New Year period, with the process closing on January 30.
It
follows a string of recent government property sales or campaigns,
including the ongoing public housing selloff in Millers Point and the
99-year lease of the historic Lands and Education buildings near
Circular Quay, plus last week’s $170.1 million sale of two commercial
buildings in Parramatta’s justice precinct.
A Government Property
NSW spokesman said the sale of “surplus or under-utilised government
properties” had raised $393 million this year.
“Funds raised from the sale of property assets are redirected into
providing essential services and infrastructure,” the spokesman said.
The
government is refusing to reveal who paid $33 million for Glebe’s
Bidura Children’s Court complex, the latest sale announced by Finance
Minister Dominic Perrottet on Monday.
“The potential for new
residential development on the site is huge,” said Mr Perrottet of the
Glebe site. “Early analysis indicates the property could house up to 100
units if developed.”
The government’s UrbanGrowth Development
Corporation is similarly spruiking the potential of the Australian
Technology Park, which boasts three development plots alongside a range
of heritage buildings, commercial space and conference facilities.
The
sale is being considered to “release the capital locked in the asset,
including for possible reinvestment in the transformation of the Central
to Eveleigh corridor,” the agency said in a statement.
The EOI
was to confirm market interest in the park and to help determine a fair
price, it said. “If the decision were taken to proceed to sale, this
would occur through a tender process.”
But Geoff Turnbull, the
spokesman for community group REDwatch, said the timing of the campaign –
leading into the holiday period, and before the strategic planning for
the Eveleigh to Central precinct was finalised – was “strange”.
“Everybody’s
saying we’ve got to rebuild trust … how do you do that when you’re
sitting down to have discussions about the Central to Eveleigh corridor
and you’re already saying ‘this bit we’re planning to flog off’ …
before we even get to the question of what might be set in concrete in
terms of strategic plans?” Mr Turnbull said.
“It just doesn’t make sense.”
UrbanGrowth launched the Australian Technology Park campaign on December 4, the day after expressions of interests closed for the 99-year lease of the historic Education and Lands buildings in central Sydney.
The
government is refusing to disclose how many bidders are vying for the
chance to redevelop the two architecturally prized Bridge Street
landmarks, collectively known as “the Sandstones”, because the process
was “commercial in confidence”.
Shadow Minister for Finance and
Services Peter Primrose said government assets, including electricity,
ports, hospitals and buildings were being privatised in a “rushed fire
sale” with little public scrutiny.
“When the government is asked
about contract details, it’s cabinet in confidence; when asked about
tenders and bidders, it’s commercial in confidence,” Mr Primrose said.
“The Liberal government does not want the public to know that they are being ripped off on these rushed privatisations.”
Source: Australian Technology Park sale: call for expressions of interest