This article is from the Australian Property Journal archive
THE Victorian government has scrapped its $5 billion plans to build new campuses of the Royal Melbourne Hospital and Royal Women’s Hospital around the new Arden Metro Tunnel train station, leaving the burgeoning city fringe precinct without one of its major drawcards.
Touted by the Victorian government as the biggest hospital project in Australia’s history, the campuses were announced ahead of the 2022 state election, but were scrapped with yesterday’s budget announcement due to “electromagnetic interference” from the Metro Tunnel to hospital equipment.
Instead, upgrades to the hospitals will take place at the existing locations in Parkville.
“After intensive investigations, the government has been advised that locating the full scope of the redevelopment at the Parkville site represents a better investment for Victorians. As a result of this detailed technical investigation, the work required to mitigate electromagnetic interference for the hospital’s sensitive medical instruments would be significant – resulting in significant delays and costing significantly more,” the government said in its budget papers.
“This approach also enables us to make the most out of both sites: consolidating medical care and services in Parkville, and freeing up Arden for more homes for thousands of Victorians.”
The Victorian government had anticipated the Arden precinct – comprising about 45 hectares of largely rezoned industrial land located between Macaulay Road, the Upfield rail line, Moonee Ponds Creek and Dryburgh Street in North Melbourne – will accommodate 15,000 residents, with 34,000 people working in the area by 2050. Arden station will be a two-minute train journey to the Parkville university medical and research precinct, and the planned Melbourne Airport Rail – which also hit a roadblock in the budget wash-up – will stop at Arden.
“Reflecting the government’s ambition to build more homes where Victorians want to live, Arden precinct will be a thriving inner-city neighbourhood,” the budget papers said.
“It also enables us to prioritise homes at Arden for health workers, as well as making homes more affordable and accessible through initiatives like build-to-rent.
“Importantly, the completed project will deliver the same first-class care for patients – but sooner and with less disruption,” the government said.
The area has been attracting major investment from developers and property players looking to capitalise on its forecast growth.
Between the announcement of hospitals project and the 2022 election, BRC Developments pounced on a 5,463 sqm parcel with plans to deliver a $600 million mixed-use project in sync with the area’s future health and science focus.
