Lake Jobs Plan Laid

Newcastle Herald

Friday November 20, 1998

By SALLY CROXTON

A $500,000 business incubator to be built at Gateshead should be ready by May to nurture 20 small businesses.

Hunter-based Liberal Senator John Tierney launched the business incubator yesterday at Bayviews Function Centre, Warners Bay.

In an unusual move, the incubator will provide light manufacturing as well as office space to support 20 businesses.

For an average $85 a week rent it will provide office services as well as business support and advice.

`The idea of the incubator is they don't get in and stay there. The chicks hatch and they fly off somewhere else,' Senator Tierney said.

The Federal Government allocated $500,000 to the project, $350,000 for capital works and $150,000 for continuing costs.

BHP has provided another $200,000 out of the Hunter Advantage Fund for construction costs and Lake Macquarie City Council has given $300,000 in the form of land and management resources.

Construction is expected to begin in January.

The council feared it would lose the Federal grant when the original plan to put the incubator at Boolaroo on land owned by the Pasminco Cockle Creek smelter foundered.

Mayor Cr John Kilpatrick said the council then came up with the site at 48 Oakdale Rd, which had been set aside for a now-abandoned plan to build a waste transfer station.

`We're trying to create jobs near where people live,' he said.

The power stations and mines were downsizing and small business was the only growth area.

Chairman of the Lake Macquarie Small Business Centre Ltd Mr Glenn Thornton said the key objective was to create 500 jobs in five years.

© 1998 Newcastle Herald

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