Construction begins on $750m Amazon fulfilment centre in Flagstone

Construction has begun this week on a $750 million Amazon fulfilment centre at Greater Flagstone, in Logan, after Economic Development Queensland approved the application in just 35 business days, a turnaround Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie described as the fastest approval Amazon has received in Australia for a development of this scale, per Inside State Government.

Why it matters

The state government says the project is being driven in close partnership with Amazon, Charter Hall and Logan City Council, inside the Greater Flagstone Priority Development Area. Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie, who is also Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning, pointed to the approval as evidence of a shift in the state’s approach, saying development had been allowed to languish for a decade and that Queensland was “open for business again,” per Inside State Government. Finance Minister Ros Bates said the government was removing barriers for business and welcoming investment, the outlet reports.

The numbers

The centre spans more than 141,000 square metres within the Greater Flagstone Logistics Estate. The project is expected to generate about 2,000 construction jobs, with about 1,000 ongoing jobs once the facility is operating. The site will run 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and will operate alongside its existing Lytton fulfilment centre, which Inside State Government reports holds more than half a million items. Wayne Angus, Amazon Australia’s Director of Operations, credited the Queensland Government’s support for helping make the investment possible, the outlet reports.

What’s next

Inside State Government did not report a completion date or opening timeline for the Flagstone facility, nor a start date for the roughly 2,000 construction jobs and 1,000 ongoing roles the project is expected to generate. The government frames the 35-business-day approval as a marker of its push to back industry. The Flagstone site sits within the Greater Flagstone Priority Development Area, which Inside State Government says the Urban Development Institute of Australia estimates provides about 14 per cent of the region’s greenfield land supply for new homes. It adds to a run of large-scale industrial and logistics commitments across South East Queensland this year, including Brisbane Airport’s $400 million, 30-hectare industrial land release.