Victoria University site upgrades essential if Hume Council takes control of four buildings

HUME Council must be ready to fund upgrades at the Sunbury Victoria University site if it takes it over, says a councillor.

Boilerhouse Theatre - the Secret Garden

HUME councillor Ann Potter says an independent report on establishing a Sunbury Community Arts and Cultural precinct at the former Victoria University site confirms that council must be ready to fund upgrades when and if ownership is transferred to it.

The report, received at Hume Council’s April meeting, examined the state of four buildings on the Jacksons Hill site which are used by the community.

It was called after a December 2013 Memorandum of Understanding between VU and the council was signed which details plans by the university to transfer the four buildings to the council.

RELATED: Sunbury Asylum Alliance campaigns for new Abbotsford Convent style hub at Jacksons Hill

Those buildings, numbered 18 to 21, are home to tenants including Radio 3NRG and the Sunbury Community Arts Network.

But despite occupancy, the buildings — like the rest of the site — needs increasing maintenance, Cr Potter said.

“All going to plan all of these buildings would be transferred to council ownership,” she said.

“They have always been identified as buildings where community use is attached and it allows council to gather the information on what needs to be done.”

Cr Potter said the Boilerhouse Theatre was one area of the site which needed restoration with concerns such as disability access.

The report process included a wide ranging consultation process including “community visioning” event on December 2014 which was attended by more than 40 residents.

There were also 21 one-on-one interviews with tenants and focus groups concerned with retaining the buildings for community use.

VU applied to council for the rezoning of a large area of Jacksons Hill in May 2014, but Hume Council has asked for more detail on matters including traffic and heritage, requirements not yet submitted.

“We understand that Victoria University recently commissioned further work that may ultimately support their application,” council’s city sustainability director Kelvin Walsh said.

“Hume anticipates that Victoria University will submit this additional information by the end of 2016.”

Cr Potter said heritage matters will present significant obstacles to VU trying to pave the way for residential development on the larger site, while the community expectations remained opposed to residential development there.