Australian Customs Seeks Home in Melbourne
The Australian Customs Service this week circulated a leasing requirement for 150,000sq m of land and about 6100sqm of offices close to Melbourne Airport.
Sources say the ACS wants its new national centre to include education facilities, a dog breeding, training and development centre, and secure storage for explosives and drugs such as heroin, cocaine, ice and ecstasy.
The new facility will unite dozens of divisions now spread around the country, sources say.
The ACS is looking at sites in the city’s western and north-western suburbs.
It is looking for sites within 10kilometres of Melbourne Airport, or up to 15 kilometres from the airport, provided the site is close to the port.
It also requires the site to be zoned for around-the-clock access.
Melbourne Airport property development manager Jamie Jowett and Essendon Fields chief executive Rob Whitwell confirmed they had copies of the brief but declined to comment further.
United Group Real Estate Services director Dudley D’Souza, who is handling the industrial leasing requirement out of Canberra, was unavailable for comment.
