Opportunities

Relocate or
Start-up?

The Glen Innes Severn Council alongside our associations and business community encourage and support more businesses relocating or starting up in the Glen Innes Highlands.

The combination of Council assistance, logistics, enhanced mobile coverage and faster broadband, government grants, logistics, land values and lifestyle make Glen Innes Highlands the ideal choice for business, investment and skilled workers.

Our local business leaders have identified some of the opportunities just waiting to be exploited.

Sectors on the Rise

The Region has a small manufacturing sector that produces specialty products, including hearses, digital-based photographic products, quality racing equipment for jockeys and horses, safety and automation devices and systems, auto-balers for waste management and metal piers.

Our Region has significant and growing specialisations in livestock and horticulture industries. The key livestock industries are beef cattle and sheep farming.

Our Region has a growing horticultural sector, with the Region producing apples, stone fruits, avocados, mangos, kiwi fruit, strawberries, blueberries, tomatoes, vegetables, turf, macadamia nuts, pecans, chestnuts, lavender, garlic and herbs, cut flowers and nursery plants.

Tourism is another important and growing industry. Accommodation and Food Services is the 4th largest employer in the Region. There are opportunities to continue to grow the short-breaks and day visitor markets out of the South East Queensland and the Northern Rivers Region of NSW, special interest and activity-based markets and the long-haul touring market.

Glen Innes Highlands Glen Innes Highlands

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Unique Character
& Landscape

The Glen Innes Severn Local Government Area (LGA) has a unique landscape, rural character, and a strong sense of community with cultural importance. It is the home of the Ngoorabul people who traditionally roamed the area between Glen Innes and the coast.

The LGA includes the major town and residential township of Glen Innes, as well as four (4) villages (Emmaville, Deepwater, Red Range and Glencoe) and four (4) hamlets (Glen Elgin, Wellingrove, Wytaliba and Dundee). These locations are contained within a total area of 5,487 square kilometres (km²), in the state geographical area known as New England High Country. This includes 1,190 km² of National Parks and 231 km² of State Forests.

Elevations range from 100 metres above sea level, at the north-eastern boundary of the LGA, to 1,500. Council’s economic development and destination brand is “Glen Innes Highlands” encompassing all of the features of our area, culture and community.

Ecological and culturally significant landscapes are valued, as well as the cultural heritage of town buildings and its historic streetscapes metres above sea level at the south-western boundary.

Natural Endowments

Climate - the Region has a high altitude, cool temperate climate at a subtropical latitude. It is characterised by four distinct seasons, cooler temperatures, low humidity, relatively high and reliable rainfall, high light intensity and, in some exposed localities, strong, consistent winds.

Water Resources – the Region sits on the Great Dividing Range and receives relatively high, reliable rainfall. It has permanent rivers and streams flowing east into the Clarence River and west into the Border Rivers catchment.

Mineral Deposits - The Region has the largest, undeveloped, hard rock tin deposit Australia, with this deposit also rich in ‘rare earth metals’ including lithium, rubidium and molybdenum17. A tin mine and processing plant has been approved and further exploration is occurring.

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Local Opportunities

There are many opportunities that our community has identified that can provide the reason for you to invest in something new in Glen Innes Highlands. We're continually incubating new projects that align to our Local Economic Development Strategy that is place-based.

Geotourism

The geology of the New England North West region is complex and encapsulates the geological history of the breakup of the Gondwana continent and the formation of the east coast of Australia.

Our region has the opportunity to build on its abundant natural and cultural assets in order to leverage an emerging global trend in geotourism and attract international visitors.

By embracing the National Geotourism Strategy and aligning product and experience development with it’s wholistic framework, New England North West has the potential to embark on a journey to be nominated as an Aspiring UNESCO Global Geopark.

UNESCO Global Geoparks

= ‘single, unified geographical areas where sites and landscapes of international geological significance are managed with a holistic concept of protection, education and sustainable development’.

Destination Management Plan

Geotourism

= ‘tourism which focuses on an area's geology and landscape as the basis for providing visitor engagement, learning and enjoyment’.

National Geotourism Strategy, Australian Geoscience Council, 12 March 2021

Local Development Assessment Unit & NSW Planning Portal

Council also provides developers with an opportunity to attend weekly Development Assessment Unit meetings to discuss developments prior to the lodgement of their development applications.

The Development Assessment Unit comprises Town Planning, Building Surveying, Engineering and Community Services representatives who are available to discuss technical aspects of the development.

THE NSW PLANNING PORTAL

Work continues at Glen Innes Severn Council to help get DAs through for residents and businesses. This online portal and improvements to DA processing times is the reason the new Skywalk was funded.

Watch the video here

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Significant Development Committee

The Investment Pathway initiative brings together different roles within Council to provide a seamless point of access for new investors and a collaborative, responsive, partnering approach by Council - improving the customer focus of Council when dealing with new investors.

It aims to reduce timeframes, improve flexibility of options and reduce cost for new investors – making it easier for them to invest in the Glen Innes area compared with other options in northern New South Wales. Council provides this Investment Pathway through its Significant Development Committee of Council.

This Committee provides an opportunity to discuss proposed developments with proponents in a confidential forum prior to lodging a Development Application.

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Motor Sports Complex

Motor sports are under-represented in regional Australia. Glen Innes Highlands’ strategic location at the intersection of the New England and Gwydir Highways, a few hours from Brisbane and the coast make it an ideal centre for these crowd-drawing sports – and there’s land available.

Renewable Energy

Three significant renewable energy projects have already been approved for Glen Innes Highlands district by the NSW Government. Demand for renewable energy is rapidly increasing – there are few communities where installation of solar panels is growing as fast as Glen Innes Highlands, up by almost 20 per cent in the past year.

Car Dealership

Our growing population together with the flourishing new wind and solar farming industries open the way for a new car dealership to service Northern New England and the North West slopes.

Niche Crops

Several niche crops are ideally suited to Glen Innes Highlands’ soils and cool climate. Just one example, lavender. With demand outstripping supply, Glen Innes Highlands offers a climate similar to the world’s best lavender-growing regions. Small-scale plantings confirm the plant thrives in our environment.

Greenhouse Horticulture

The success of the large-scale greenhouse tomato farm at Guyra, 59km south of Glen Innes, is an indication of the suitability of the New England Highlands to this type of farming. With large areas of level land available, Glen Innes Highlands offers huge potential

Dairy Farming

Sales are up, profits are up, export demand is up. All that’s needed are more people seizing the opportunity to develop cow, sheep and goat dairy enterprises. With good, well-priced land, existing cold storage and freezer facilities and ready access to Toowoomba’s international freight hub, the time is right.

Medicinal Cannabis Farm

Now that the laws have changed to enable medical cannabis to be grown locally in Australia there is opportunity for a farm to be established in Glen Innes Highlands.

There is land and water available for a farm to be created to assist in the increased demand for the product and help bring prices down for patients in need.

Luxury Retirement Village

The active and semi-retired markets are flocking to Glen Innes Highlands. Why? The cool climate, community, beauty of our township, our heritage and more. With Glen Innes over-indexing on aging-population and increased visitation by the grey-nomads there seems to be a demand-base waiting to be influenced by a luxury product. An opportunity exists for an investor to consider a purpose-built luxury retirement village in our area.

Entertainment Precinct

Appealing to the family market in Glen Innes there is potential for an entertainment precinct to be developed that could include a ten pin bowling alley, kids indoor/outdoor play park, café/bar/restaurant, rock-climbing and other family-friendly activities. Perhaps combined with the motor-sport complex to attract our neighbouring towns and villages for a weekend of fun, where the kids can roam, experience and play and the adults can stop for a coffee or join in the fun for some good-old bonding with their kids.

Industrial Hub

Council has land available for development into a significant regional industrial estate with connections west via the Gwydir Highway, east to the coast and north to Toowoomba’s Wellcamp international air cargo hub.

Equestrian Facilities

With Tamworth’s Equine and Livestock Events Centre a huge success – it is frequently booked out – there’s potential to cater for overflow.

Health Services & Aged Care Facilities

Given its climate and affordable housing, Glen Innes Highlands is a popular pre-and post-retirement option. With this influx, there’s a growing need for health services and, especially, aged care facilities.

Ecotourism

Washpool and Gibraltar Range World Heritage National Parks present opportunities for ecotourism enterprises, including mountain biking, wildlife photography and hiking.

Home & Micro Businesses

Faster internet access makes Glen Innes Highlands a perfect base for businesses operating from home – whether digital, artisanal produce, craft or service. Work remotely and commute occasionally to cities from neighbouring town Armidale or Inverell, less than an hour’s drive away.

Trades & Professions

A growing economy and influx of tree changers gives scope for trades people and service providers. Typically, there’s more demand for carpenters, aged care professionals, other professional services, medical practitioners and veterinarians.

Assets Available for Development

We've identified some local assets that are just waiting for someone with vision to come along and create something new!

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Annual Local
Economic Development
Support Fund

The Policy application deadline is 31 July by 5pm - annually.

The Policy may be used to provide financial assistance to:

(a) A business entity – proven by an Australian Business Number (ABN) and/or Australian Company Name (ACN) proposing to establish or expand an industry, service or business in the LGA; and

(b) Local Volunteer Community Groups and/or Committees, Not-for-Profits, 355 Committees, Local Consortiums and Local Event Organisers proposing to incubate, activate or grow local initiatives, programs or events.

The Policy provides business and community access to financial support.

The Policy ensures that the criteria for funding supports local economic outcomes in alignment with the Economic Development Strategy 2020-2040 and Action Plan 2020-2025 (GIHEDS&AP).

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