Laing O'Rourke has unveiled plans for a $4.8 million facility at the Hunter Economic Zone (HEZ) to house up to 70 employees and become the centrepiece for the company's regional operations.

A development application lodged with Cessnock City Council details a 30,000sqm facility, including a 2170sqm workshop, associated ancilliary office space and 70 car parking spaces.

The company's Select plant hire business, which services Laing O'Rourke's rail, infrastructure and building groups, will run its NSW operations at the site and serve as a hub for its national operations.

An asset management business, which provides maintenance service to mining companies, will also locate to Kurri. The plans open to public comment last week.

Select Operations manager Kevin Harris said the Hunter Valley is a key region in Australia for Laing O'Rourke, an international company with more than 27,000 employees worldwide at offices in the U.K., Ireland, the United Arab Emirates, Germany, India and Poland.

He said HEZ's location with good access to major transport routes to Sydney and Brisbane was a determining factor for the selection of the site.

"We already do a lot of work in the area and this facility will allow us to bring all parts of the business together and accommodate the future growth we expect," Mr. Harris said.

Laing O'Rourke is aiming for an early November completion date for the project.

Up to 70 staff including the company's existing employees in the region will work from the offices and workshops on the site.

Laing O'Rourke followed a $20 million Ullrich Aluminium plant that became the first business approved for the HEZ, bringing 35 jobs.

Infratil was the second company to target the site as a base for its electricity supply operation.

Kurri and District Business Chamber president Toby Thomas said the creation of jobs would attract more development in the town, both commercial and residential.

But he admitted it was an agonising wait for HEZ to begin to fulfill its purpose.

"It has been disappointingly slow, but we can see things starting to happen now," he said.

"We're bringing international companies to Kurri.

"And that will have flow-on effects: small business will feed off these industries.

"It will strengthen the local economy and it will also strengthen the community: there will be socio-economic effects for people finding jobs, and young people being able to stay in the area rather than having to move away to find work."

Despite the benefits, HEZ has attracted controversy. The Ullrich Aluminium plant generated contentious debate and its approval resulted in a rescission motion because it was deemed contradictory to the council's policy that the industrial estate would cater to "large" industry.

The council's decision was maintained at an extraordinary meeting late last year.

Mayor of Cessnock, Cr. John Clarence said construction of that plant was well underway.

"It's very encouraging that another employment-generating industry has lodged a development application to locate at HEZ," he said yesterday.

"What it says is that HEZ is on its way to being an important employment centre for the people of Kurri and Weston."