The region could soon be home to a thriving new tourist attraction with a new push to redevelop the old cannery site in Batlow emerging.
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Earlier this week, the Snowy Valleys Council opened expressions of interest to commercial entities interested in working on the former Mountain Maid cannery.
The council purchased the now dilapidated site in September and director of strategy, community, and development Gus Cox said its development will be a top priority for Batlow.
“The cannery building provides an opportunity to create a food and beverage experience with strong links to the local produce history of the region,” Mr Cox said.
“Development does not need to be limited to tourism-related activities, but could include small boutique scale uses, such as manufacturing, retail, food, or arts and crafts.”
The industrial site spans about two-and-a-half hectares and was operational until the cannery closed in the early 2000s, but has sat idle and in a poor state of repair since.
Destination Riverina Murray general manager Richie Robinson said Batlow already had a reputation as a strong fruit production hub that potential developers could easily tap into.
“Tourism attractions from a food and wine producer’s point of view definitely bode well with historic buildings or buildings with a story, and the cannery building has a great story,” Mr Robinson said.
“What Batlow’s really famous for is its fresh fruit, so it fits in really well with what the region is known for.”
Mr Robinson said Destination Riverina Murray had already pegged the site as one of the region’s biggest draw cards if the right development is chosen.
“In our destination management plan, we’ve already identified the cannery as a potentially game-changing project, not just for the Snowy Valleys but also for the whole Riverina Murray region,” he said.
“There are plenty of buildings similar to it, like the licorice factory in Junee and the whiskey factory in Corowa, that are really good examples of heritage buildings that have a story behind them being turned into really great tourist attractions.”
Any parties with ideas for potential developments can lodge an expression of interest with Snowy Valleys Council before November 16.
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