AN industrial “eyesore” will be wiped from Yarraville with the construction of a $1 billion residential development that will include land for a much-needed secondary college – if the state government wants to build it.

As reported last week in the Weekly, developers DeGroup plan to turn the 26-hectare Bradmill textiles site into a $1billion, 1000-home residential estate.

The government last week signed off on rezoning the unused industrial site.

DeGroup director Paul De Lutis told the Weekly the site would include a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom homes built in a combination of apartments and townhouses.

A 2.4-hectare parcel of land would be set aside for a secondary school, but it would be left to the government to fund its construction.

“There’s six acres [2.5 hectares] potentially available for a school. A secondary college would be good; it’s what the community needs,” Mr DeLutis said.

He also wants to see the Newport goods rail line converted to a metropolitan spur with a “Bradmill” station.

Mr De Lutis said plans for the site were well advanced and work could start this year. He revealed the site – three lots bounded by Francis Street, McIvor Reserve, the West Gate Freeway and the Newport goods rail line – was destined to become a shipping container storage park until about two years ago.

Instead, the new plans will mean relocating two busy container parks and reducing truck traffic on Francis Street.

But it remains to be seen if the government will commit to dedicated truck routes to bypass residential housing in Yarraville.

“Five years ago, high- and medium-density housing development wasn’t being considered,” Mr De Lutis said.

Working group SKY High has been lobbying for a new secondary college in the area.

Spokeswoman Janine Lloyd said the Bradmill site was one of several possible sites in the Seddon, Kingsville, Yarraville area.

“[The] 2.5-hectare [within the] Bradmill site, along with the McIvor reserve playing fields adjacent, makes Bradmill a great option in terms of playing space for secondary school-aged children.”

Education Minister Martin Dixon did not respond to questions about the site before the Weekly went to print.

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The State Government recently announced it would fast-track the Bradmill residential development.

Planning Minister Matthew Guy has approved the development of approximately 1000 new homes and associated retail and community infrastructure in the Bradmill Precinct.

The new housing estate will include a range of single storey houses and high density living, plus a neighbourhood activity centre that will include a supermarket, specialty shops, a library and a medical centre.

The SKY High Working Group has been advocating for years to get a new high school in the Seddon, Yarraville and Kingsville area, and spokesperson Janine Lloyd said the new development only heightened the need.

Ms Lloyd said families in the three suburbs were already experiencing the stresses of population growth in the area, with shortages in child care and kindergarten places. Meanwhile, two primary schools have capped their intake through zoning.

“The location of Bradmill in that it is right next to McIvor Reserve makes the site perfect for a secondary college,” Ms Lloyd said.

“A need for increased secondary college provision was established in 2010 and we are now at a critical time in the process.”

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Just as the Bradmill Textiles factory in Francis St was woven into the working class history of Yarraville, so is the housing development site woven into the suburb’s current issues – trucks, affordability and schools.

A request to rezone the 26ha Bradmill Textiles site in Francis St from industrial to residential was first lodged with Maribyrnong Council in January 2007.

It was formally adopted by the council in November 2009 but had sat on the former Planning Minister’s desk until the new Minister Matthew Guy gave it the green light recently.

The proposal for more than 1000 houses, a community centre and shopping precinct will add about 13,000 cars to a congested Francis St and put pressure on calls for a highschool for the area.

Opposition planning spokesman Brian Tee said the long wait for approval was because the site was “trapped” between the West Gate Freeway and “one of the busiest truck arterial roads”.

He said the Labor Government had planned for the Truck Action Plan to be under construction and possible site contamination investigated before it approved the rezoning.

“There’s a lack of detail, no commitment or funding for a school, which the community is already calling for,” Mr Tee said.

Mr Guy said the Government was committed to fast tracking urban renewal and making houses more affordable by increasing supply.

He said transport issues had been “factored in”.

His spokeswoman said a council condition that an Environmental Audit and Site Remediation Strategy be done would be adhered to.

Western Metropolitan Liberal MP Bernie Finn said Roads Minister Terry Mulder had “taken an interest” in the problem but not necessarily the Truck Action Plan.

Asked whether the problem would be addressed before people moved into Bradmill, which is not expected to be until after 2016, Mr Finn said: “I’m not sure whether I’d go that far”.

Maribyrnong Mayor Sarah Carter said she was not concerned about the lack of detail.

But she could not say the congestion issue had been “conclusively addressed”.

Maribyrnong Truck Action Plan spokesman Peter Knight said that without the West Gate on and off ramps, it would be “utter chaos”.

SKY High spokeswoman Janine Lloyd said the location, next to McIvor Reserve, made the Bradmill site perfect for a secondary school.

Planning Minister Matthew Guy has approved the development of approximately 1000 new homes and associated retail and community infrastructure in Yarraville’s Bradmill Precinct, eight kilometres from Melbourne’s CBD.

“This site offers a huge new opportunity for inner city urban renewal,” Mr Guy said.

The Baillieu Government has responded to Maribyrnong Council’s request to implement key rezoning to facilitate the redevelopment of 26 hectares of redundant industrial land to help meet demands for housing.

“The Baillieu Government is actively bringing developable land to market to accommodate more housing in inner-city areas close to major transport hubs,” Mr Guy said.

“The Bradmill Precinct development will bring 1000 new dwellings to the site and continues the government’s commitment to addressing housing affordability.

“The site will form a new Neighbourhood Activity Centre that will include a supermarket, speciality shops, a library and a medical centre,” Mr Guy said.

Planning for the site is supported by a Development Plan Overlay which responds to site layout, built form and construction methods. An Environmental Audit Overlay will ensure an appropriate environmental response is provided given the site’s previous industrial use.

Mr Guy said the approval of this inner city site for urban renewal complemented the Baillieu Government’s moves to advance new housing supply in Melbourne’s growth areas.

“The Baillieu Government is delivering on its target to release 50,000 lots this year and has established a new dedicated Housing Affordability Unit to provide advice on the policies and legislation to assist in making housing more accessible to more Victorians,” Mr Guy said.

“The Brumby Government allowed Melbourne to become the most unaffordable city in Australia, but the Baillieu Government is committed to addressing this unsustainable situation.

“The Bradmill precinct development and the release of more land on Melbourne’s outskirts are examples of how the Baillieu Government is meeting the challenges of Melbourne’s housing needs,” Mr Guy said.

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The site is about 8 kilometres from the city and is close to transport links.

The announcement comes as the Bureau of Statistics released new figures showing Melbourne’s population has grown by more than 600,000 over the past decade.

Most of the growth has been in the city’s outer suburbs.

Mr Guy says the Bradmill industrial site in Yarraville is one of a number of developments planned to help the city accommodate the new residents.

“This is a key urban renewal opportunity for Melbourne,” he said.

“We have to make sure we have sites like Bradmill close to the city where we have urban renewal opportunities where people can buy a home.”

Mr Guy says Melbourne needs more medium density developments across the inner-city to deal with the population boom.

“That’s why we are looking at areas such as Port Melbourne, Fishermans Bend, Docklands North, places like the Yarraville site, to ensure growth isn’t just a singular growth,” he said.

Melbourne recorded the fastest rate of growth of any capital city during the last financial year, with the outer suburbs absorbing most of the increase.

Social welfare groups are concerned that governments are struggling to provide services to keep pace with the booming population.

The chief executive of the Victorian Council of Social Service, Cath Smith, says growth has outstripped government expectations.

“The fact that we’ve had ten per cent population growth in some of these growth corridors means that investment hasn’t kept pace,” she said.

“We need to see an urgent injection both in infrastructure, but also in human services.”

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