Construction of a new $1 billion wholesale fruit, vegetable and flower market on Melbourne's northern fringe is finally set to get under way after the Victorian government's decision to name Bovis Lend Lease the preferred builder for a key part of the project.
The Australian Financial Review reports that Bovis Lend Lease was selected to build the $300 million main market floor at the 133-hectare Epping site near the Hume Highway.
The project has been plagued by delays and controversy and the government has yet to announce how ancillary infrastructure and warehouses, worth about $700 million, will be funded after it tore up an agreement with Mirvac earlier this year.
Major Projects Minister Tim Pallas said Bovis Lend Leases's selection represented a "a new phase in the delivery of the new wholesale fruit, vegetable and flower market for Melbourne".
Mr Pallas said the project would ensure the viability of the wholesale market, crucial to the state's $11.8 billion agricultural sector.
Email a friend