This article is from the Australian Property Journal archive
FIFTY hectares of industrial land in Melbourne’s inner north west will be rezoned to accommodate 34,000 jobs and 15,000 new residents by 2050, revolving around the new Arden Metro tunnel station.
The Victorian Government, in partnership with the City of Melbourne, unveiled the Draft Arden Precinct Structure Plan that is open for public consultation until 9th August.
The new suburb will be bound by Macaulay Rd, Dryburgh St and the Moonee Ponds Creek. Initial plans for a new precinct estimated at $7 billion were released in 2016.
In 2017, the Victorian government rezoned industrial land on the edge of the CBD for the new suburb of Macaulay, adjoining Arden, which the state government said would become home to 10,000 residents and 9,500 jobs by 2051. A separate structure plan refresh being developed for the Macaulay urban renewal area by the City of Melbourne, and along with the anticipated West Melbourne overhaul “the interface between these three areas will be resolved as part of finalising the Arden Structure Plan and its planning controls”.
A state government announcement said the new Arden plan is a “growth blueprint to guide the precinct’s development, complementing the neighbouring Parkville biomedical innovation and research precinct and turning North Melbourne into an employment hub for science, health, education and digital technology”.
Public space around the new Arden Station, part of the $11 billion Metro tunnel project would be included “similar to Federation Square”.
Queensberry St and Fogarty St would both be extended to create “new high street-style boulevards”, and new cycling and transport links to connect Melbourne’s inner north-west to the rest of the city.
“Industries in Arden are diverse and include warehousing and showrooms, concrete batching, food manufacturing, transport industries, and other construction industries. Arden’s renewal will generate opportunities for government to support existing businesses that are undergoing change to find more suitable locations as the precinct becomes a place for a mix of employment and residential uses, people focussed streets and green spaces,” the plan document said.
Three sub precincts have been identified, each with varying development recommendations. Laurens St could accommodate buildings up to 16 storeys, Arden North of up to 20, and Arden Central as high as 40 storeys on a stretch of land at the western boundary, overlooking the railway line past North Melbourne station.
Establishing the precinct over the next 20 years is hoped to provide thousands of jobs in building and construction.
“This brand new precinct will be services by three train stations with the Metro Tunnel connecting it to the city, Parkville and the western suburbs,” Minister for Transport Infrastructure, Jacinta Allan said.
