It was once the lifeblood of Macksville, but early next year the old Midco Smallgoods factory will finally come down.
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Tim Erskine Smith purchased the site on Bellevue Dr about 15 years ago in the hopes of constructing a manufacturing and distribution base for Erskine Dental.
But the proposal attracted the ire of nearby residents and Mr Erskine Smith was forced to set up shop in the Macksville Industrial Estate instead.
Subsequent attempts to sell the site were unsuccessful.
This year council approved a development application (DA) for subdivision of the site into 19 residential allotments.
Ancillary work is currently being carried out on the building to remove bonded asbestos and will be completed in the next month or so.
“We’re trying to clean the site up and make it a bit safer than it has been—it’s attracted a lot of vandalism over the years,” Mr Erskine Smith said.
Mr Erskine Smith said he is hopeful that demolition works will start in the first quarter of 2018.
It is a bit of a shame, because it’s the end of an era.
- Tim Erskine Smith
“But it's been a very expensive project—we won’t make much out of it in the end.
“We’ll be happy to see it go.”
Mel Leigh Dee
Mel is a journalist at the Guardian News and is based in Macksville.
Mel is a journalist at the Guardian News and is based in Macksville.
