Ferrars St and South Melbourne Park primary schools on track to open in 2018, 2019

TWO new primary schools are on track to open in Melbourne’s inner south — but the progress comes with a price, it has been revealed.

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THE brand new Ferrars St Primary School will next year appoint a principal and take enrolments for 2018, Deputy Premier James Merlino revealed at a public forum this week.

And Mr Merlino said he was “confident” the South Melbourne Park Primary School will be open by term one, 2019.

But it comes at a price.

Mr Merlino revealed the State Government would be forking out “an additional $1 million” to ensure Parks Victoria and Orchestra Victoria would move from the site earmarked for South Melbourne Park by the end of this year.

Mr Merlino said the money was to “expedite planning works for Parks Vic to relocate.”

Parents gathered in South Melbourne on March 22 to ask questions about the issues surrounding the future of education in Port Phillip, and the growing demand for schools and space.

South Melbourne has no public primary schools, and neighbouring schools in Port Melbourne Albert Park and Middle Park have been overcrowded for years.

Mr Merlino said both schools were “on track” to opening on time, and the Ferrars St school would have an appointed principal by July 2017, and South Melbourne Park would have a principal by July 2018.

The Ferrars St school will accommodate 525 students, while South Melbourne Park will have an enrolment of about 450 students.

“We’ve got to deliver Ferrars St for the start of the 2018 school year, and deliver South Melbourne Park for the start on 2019,” he said.

At the meeting, parents raised concerns about the lack of public high schools in the area to house the influx of primary school students moving into secondary education.

Mr Merlino would not drawn on whether additional secondary schools were on the horizon, but said he would receive a “provision review” in June assessing the needs in the area.

Southern Metropolitan Region upper house MP Margaret Fitzherbert said the Government needed to explain where the money to move Parks Victoria was being sourced from.

“Martin Foley needs to explain how much the whole project will cost, including moving Parks Victoria and new premises for Orchestra Victoria, and put full funding in the next budget in April,” she said.