Kings Park. Property leased

Precept has leased 1251square metes of space at 5 Binney Road, Kings Park The office warehouse has been leased from Yaleson Corporation for a 12 month term at a gross rent of $96 per square metre.

Parramatta. DA expected this year

Parramatta City Council said the DA for the $11.6 billion Civic Place project is expected to be lodged in 2011 with work on stage one expected to commence in the 2011/12 financial year. It will be the biggest redevelopment project the city has ever seen and will revitalise the city centre, council said.

Parramatta. Key challenges facing the city

Parramatta City Council has nominated 16 key economic development challenges facing the city over the next five years. These include: employment growth; human capital/knowledge based employment, a key predictor and driver of population growth; industry/employer targeting; target younger workers; amenity/culture/buzz; and marketing the city brand.

Parramatta. Tourism development

Parramatta City Council aims, in the financial year 2011-12, activate the Parramatta River foreshore in the CBD, develop a strategy to position Parramatta as an events destination, engage resources for tourism development and management, develop a local tourism product, develop a a leisure brand for the city and implement priority actions in the Visitor Strategy for Parramatta, about to go on public exhibition

Parramatta. Jobs go at drug company

Merck Sharpe & Dohme said it would discontinue packaging operations at its plant, at South Granville, from 2103 and import medicines, according to an Australian Financial Review report. Previously the company had planned to stop making tablets but it will now stop even lower-level packaging of imported medicines and drugs. The loss will be hundreds of jobs and more than $1 billion in annual exports, according to the paper.The US-based company commenced operations in Australia, at Rockdale, in 1952, and established its headquarters in South Granville, in 1958

Huntingwood. Diageo boosts market share

Diageo, Australia’s largest spirits maker, with a one-third share of bottled spirits and remixed drinks, has more than doubled the market growth of the ready-to-mix drink spirits category. The company has a manufacturing and distribution facility, at Huntingwood, Tim Salt, Diageo Australia’s MD, said success for the spirits group would be driven by packaging innovation and drink formats while broadening its product range to take in premium cocktail mixes that would appeal to older drinkers. The company, the local operation of the UK-based beverages group, had total revenue of $552 million in 2009-10.