Tucked in beneath the West Gate Bridge, the humble suburb of Spotswood has recently been finding its way to the forefront of public discourse.
There has historically been an overwhelming juxtaposition between the area’s iconic attractions such as Scienceworks and Grazeland, and its understated presence relative to its well-known sister neighbourhoods, Yarraville and Newport, but Cadence are on the trajectory to change that.
With the suburb’s industrial-chic atmosphere, long history in production and technology, and its inner-city location only 7km from the CBD, Cadence was drawn to take a large stake in the area and actively contribute to its regeneration as a long-term owner and landlord.
This started with the rejuvenation of Melbourne’s longest running manufacturing site, the former ACI bottling plant, now Visy Glass Distribution Centre, which was completed in 2021.
Paying homage to the rich industrial heritage of both the site itself and Spotswood, Cadence’s redevelopment of this facility bucked the trend of traditional industrial design by preserving recycled timber from the original building and incorporating several large murals completed by internationally recognised local Australian street artists Kitt Bennett and Georgia Hill.
These features were the catalyst for the facility to be named the winner of the Urban Taskforce’s Development Excellence Awards in 2022 for Best Industrial Development, and to be listed as a finalist for the Urban Developer Award for Development of the Year – Industrial, in the same year.
Following on from the great success of this first venture, Cadence is now turning its sights to the next phase of its plans for the area – the conversion of another disused site into 22 modern office warehouses.
The Sheds of Spotswood, located at 25-67 Craig Street, sits on 4ha of land and will consist of facilities ranging from 896-1,219sqm with associated hardstands to suit small to medium businesses.
The Sheds will offer businesses the convenience of a supremely well-located site that benefits from immediate access to major freight routes such as the West Gate Freeway, and is just a short walk from the Spotswood train station and rich amenity the area has to offer.
Cadence has maintained its commitment to quality by including solar power to individual units, rear covered loading, bicycle and shower amenities, and ample carparking in the base offering. With its integrated development model and in-house design and construction capability, Cadence can facilitate further value-add opportunities to prospective tenants through flexibility and customisation options.
Melbourne’s West has consistently outperformed other industrial areas, with current vacancy rates at approximately 0.5%*. With minimal supply and demand continuing to rise, The Sheds of Spotswood represents a rare opportunity to secure an extremely well-connected space in this corridor. With government support through continued significant investment into local infrastructure, the area is expected to continue to become even more well-connected.
This includes the much-anticipated completion of the West Gate Tunnel Project, the widening of the West Gate Freeway that includes express lanes between the M80 and the West Gate Bridge, as well as more localised cycling and pedestrian improvements in Craig Street by Hobsons Bay City Council.
The latter will set the foundations to allow for the continuation of the Spotswood East-West Greenline Cycling Corridor, and the West Gate Freeway upgrades including a new on ramp just 400m from the site.
Construction is due to commence in the second half of this year. If you’re interested in learning more about the project and securing your position in the area, enquire via the website.
www.theshedsofspotswood.com.au
*CBRE, December 2022