As a major development corridor in Melbourne’s north, one of Whittlesea City Council’s commitments is to have at least one person in full time paid employment for every house built. With the area set to become the fastest growing region in Victoria this is an enormous challenge. To meet it, the City of Whittlesea has approved land for a new employment precinct in Cooper Street, which is ideally positioned near the newly opened Craigieburn Bypass, Melbourne airport and the inland rail port in Somerton.
The Cooper Street Development Plan is a master plan for developing a major employment generating area in Epping. Aiming to create 23,000 jobs, this is Melbourne’s largest ‘green field’ rezoning for employment purposes in the past 30 years.
It recently won top recognition from Victoria’s planning professionals. The Planning Institute of Australia (PIA Victorian Division) in its 2004 prestigious Awards for Planning Excellence, recognised the plan under three categories. It also took out the President’s Award, which is the leading award for public and private sectors in the planning industry. The plan initially won the Local Government Award category making it eligible to compete against many other candidates including State Government departments, consultancy firms, developers and other councils.
The award for Cooper Street was a proud moment for Council’s talented team who have put in place plans for a major centre of employment to match the expected population growth.
A team of Council staff, with some external specialist advice, developed the plan for the 390 hectare site over a three year period.
“Linking employment to housing is a key aim,” said Whittlesea Councillor Frank Merlino. “Developing jobs near where people live, means there is less traffic going to the City and elsewhere, more money is spent in this area and it creates a more vibrant community.
“It is not just a matter of making jobs. The buildings are also designed to create a more attractive, safe and friendly atmosphere for people.
“In developing any region we look at the environmental, cultural and physical aspects of developing a site. Environmental considerations included the position of rocky knolls, habitats and water courses before laying out plans. We have also incorporated cultural features into the design guidelines such as existing natural rock walls.
“With our highly detailed method of planning, developers have great confidence in placing their business here.”
Cr Frank Merlino said as a result of this detailed planning, developers have a clear understanding of the approach being taken by Council.
At the Cooper Street site, developers will pay $20 million in contributions to build supporting infrastructure.
