A new grain receival site could be built at Roelands in time for the 2017-18 harvest season if WA's main grain handler ticks all the planning boxes and the project is ultimately given the green light by its own board.
For that to happen however, a lot of factors would need to fall into place pretty quickly according to CBH general manager of operations David Capper, who on Monday announced the co-operative was exploring the site's potential to service growers in the region.
On the table is a 120,000 tonne storage site that will cost $9 million and take up 20-30 hectares on Treendale Road, on a combination of cleared and grazing land.
"I would ideally like to see it in place for the 2017-18 harvest but in all reality there are a lot of moving parts," Mr Capper said.
This month CBH will lodge a planning submission with the Shire of Harvey, triggering a development approval period of about 90 days, including a three-week consultation period.
This is when the Harvey Shire will consider environmental and traffic impacts, as well as seek community consultation.
"The planning application and the conditions that come out of the application will determine if the investment is worth pursuing," Mr Capper said.
Mr Capper said the facility would provide growers in the catchment area with other delivery options.
"One factor in CBH exploring the potential for a new site at Roelands is that the amount of grain in the Bunbury catchment has continued to increase in recent years."
"The Bunbury region has also recently benefitted from upgrades to the Coalfields Highway which is a key piece of infrastructure that now makes this project a viable option."
Mr Capper said the construction phase would not be a long one.
He said it was about considering all the planning requirements and then making a decision.
Last year CBH announced it would consolidate its storage network and reduce the number of sites to 100 from the current tally of 202.
Some of the old concrete silos, dating back to the 1960s, will be phased out over the next five to 10 years.
CBH is expected to invest $150m over the next five years in its 100 priority sites.
For more agricultural news, visit farmweekly.com.au.
