Abandoned Wonga Park Village to become a community hub
It’s been deserted for years and has been a haven for vandals, but there’s “a sense of excitement” as a once-popular Wonga Park village looks set to thrive again. Here’s what’s planned.
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Abandoned Wonga Park Village Centre will be revamped into a community hub after Manningham Council approved plans to bring life to the rundown Launders Ave precinct.
A second storey will be built, with negotiations taking place with a range of retail and hospitality businesses to come in as tenants when work begins next year.
Wonga Park Shopping Centre Trust owner Mark Etherington confirmed in June he bought the block with a view to creating a community hub.
The council has since approved permits for the centre with plans now being finalised in line with a number of conditions.
The council received 10 submissions relating to the visual impact of the project and its amenities.
Mr Etherington said he believed there was now a “sense of excitement” in the community.
“I believe the majority are supportive of the project. A few did have questions but we believe we have addressed those concerns,” he said.
“Anything that came forward via the submissions to the council I wanted addressed fairly. It will always be a community hub.”
Mr Etherington, the chief executive of the Australian Property Trust, said work to “deliver the right tenant mix” was now in full swing.
“Now that we have the permits we can ramp up those discussions because there is a certainty around what we’re offering,” he said.
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Mr Etherington said he hoped some of the future business operators would live in, and employ staff from, the community.
The centre has been dormant since the last tenant was kicked out by the previous landlord in December 2015.