$20m to rebuild demolished Huttonham Estate in Preston
ONE of Victoria’s first public housing estates, demolished in 2011, will be rebuilt as a mix of private and public housing.
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ONE of Victoria’s first public housing estates, demolished in 2011, will be rebuilt as a mix of private and public housing.
The State Government today announced it would spend $20 million on 68 public housing properties and an unconfirmed number of private properties on the Huttonham Estate in Preston.
The State Government will also consider the inclusion of aged care at the site.
RELATED: Huttonham Estate land still vacant
The state-owned land comprises of four blocks in Stokes St and Penola St, tucked away behind the intersection of Bell St and St Georges Rd.
State Minister for Housing, Disability and Ageing Martin Foley said the development would help meet Melbourne’s demand for affordable housing.
“Early next year we will seek a suitable partner to work with us to design and construct the new housing,” Mr Foley said.
“Construction will commence around mid-2017 so the first new residents can be taking up residence ... within 15 months.”
Northcote Labor MP Fiona Richardson said the development would help meet the demands of a growing population.
The State Government planned to submit a planning application for the site to Darebin Council by the end of this month.
The Huttonham Estate has been untouched since 2011, when the previous State Government started a search for a private sector partner to redevelop the wedge of land.
Tender documents passed on to the Preston Leader in 2012 detailed plans for the construction of more than 86 homes, with just “up to 25” to be used for public housing.
State Housing Minister Martin Foley last year said the previous State Government “botched a tendering process and then failed to do anything for over three years on the site”.
“Huttonham Estate was demolished by the last government in 2011, when they had no plans to develop the site,” Mr Foley said.
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