Kempsey Saleyards upgrade BEEFed up

Published on 31 July 2023

Over $3 million dollars has been herded to steer the Kempsey Saleyards upgrade in the right direction.

Kempsey Shire Council is pleased to announce they have successfully secured an additional $3,090,094 for the Kempsey Regional Saleyards upgrade from the Australian and NSW Government’s Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund.

The major upgrade includes the installation of a yard roof, kiosk, amenities, office space, paving, yard modifications, seating and landscaping. These improvements will elevate the Saleyards to become the regionally significant, modern facility that our cattle producers deserve.

Peter Allen, Group Manager of Commercial Business at Kempsey Shire Council, said gaining the extra funding shall provide assurance that the full scope of the project can be delivered as originally planned.

“This is great news for our agricultural industry and community as we can continue our goal in ensuring the saleyards is a competitive regional saleyard on the Mid North Coast,” said Mr Allen.

“Like most infrastructure projects, rising costs due to inflation, supply chain issues and labour shortages have impacted this infrastructure project. Without the additional funding, we would have been forced to make some difficult decisions to meet our original budget and some elements, such as the refurbished public areas, amenities and the new grandstand, may have been cut or deferred from this project.”

Council previously secured $6,331,001 under the Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund in July 2021 to fund this project, however unexpectedly high inflation levels drove costs well beyond the original budget.

Due to the scale of this proposed development, the development application is currently being assessed by the Northern Regional Planning Panel. The project is expected to be delivered through 2024/2025.

To learn more about the upgrades, head to the Saleyards Project page.