It is not often that older established municipalities have the opportunity to plan new developments within their borders. However, deinstitutionalisation has given Victoria’s Darebin City Council such a chance.
Parts of Darebin were home to several of Melbourne’s largest mental health establishments. Now they have been decommissioned, their vast grounds and heritage buildings form the basis for a new high quality lifestyle development less than 15 kilometres from the CBD.
Laurie Hewet, Manager Urban Development, said these are very special sites. “They have established streetscapes, mature tree plantings and fantastic buildings,” he said. “We wanted a plan to maximise this potential with site sensitive design processes.”
Darebin enlisted La Trobe University and major property owners to develop a shared vision for the future of the area in ‘The North East Corridor Strategic Plan.
Mayor Christine Kelly said the availability of land for development in an attractive environment, with good transport facilities and excellent educational facilities, was too good to waste. “With an ultimate population of 6,000 by the year 2008, the corridor represents a major redevelopment opportunity for Darebin, a rare chance for an established metropolitan Municipality,” she said.
Council set about forming partnerships with the major landowners and sought advice from servicing authorities as well as comments from neighbouring municipalities to create a draft plan.
Detailed plans include the location of residential, educational and research land uses, flora and fauna habitat preservation, open space provision, movement and transport networks, and local activity centres.
“We needed a strategic plan to stop development proceeding in an unplanned fashion,” Laurie Hewet said. “The philosophy behind it is to ensure the various precincts do not develop separately or create an isolated community. Developers hold a similar view of how the development should proceed. “
“It will bring significant advantages to Darebin including the vitality that comes with a new community, the integration of the University into community life, development of new services and increased rate revenue.”
For further information contact Laurie Hewet, telephone (03) 9230 4481
