Council has approved the plans for what Cr Shields has labelled “one of the most significant developments in the city’s history”. Andorra Developments has gained approved from council for a mixed residential, tourism and industrial precinct, seven years after it purchased the site in 2011.

Cr Shields said there had been more than 15 years of stagnation at the facility.

“A lot of residents are quite annoyed about it because it’s been a blight on the city, but now we can see some significant work going ahead,” he said.

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The site will include more than 400 houses. Andorra Developments managing director Mark Stanford said there was also a tourism zone which could be used for food and beverage buildings, as well as accommodation.

Cr Shields said it had taken more than 15 years for something to happen at the site because “councils for whatever reason just haven’t had the political will in the past to get this done”.

“I think where we’ve fallen over in the past is a simple communications issue. We really do need to have more open dialogue between developers, between business houses in Dubbo and the council,” he said.

The mayor said he was quite pleased to finally get the application out of the in-tray at council. It sent a clear message across the region, and all over Australia, that Dubbo was open for business, he said.

Andorra Developments is awaiting approval from the Heritage Council of NSW before work can begin, however, Mr Stanford said he believed it would start in the second quarter of 2019.