New Epping housing, hospital development: Whittlesea council requests amendments

An ambitious plan promising jobs, housing and healthcare for Melbourne’s north has some hopping mad, but developers are confident it won’t croak.

A $2 billion ‘city within a suburb’ is facing pushback from authorities over threats to an endangered species of frog.

Whittlesea Council has told developers behind the mega New Epping housing and healthcare precinct it will not sign off on their plan unless it changes to better protect a regionally significant population of native growling grass frogs — a species classified as vulnerable to extinction.

“Significant concerns” raised by the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning and the Merri Creek Management Committee informed more than 45 development plan amendments endorsed at the council’s May 16 meeting.

Authorities raised concerns New Epping’s site development plan ‘does not adequately address the risks to the existing growling grass frog population’.

The amendments address overshadowing and shading of the growling grass frog habitat; provision of appropriate buffers between the proposed development and the terrestrial habitat of growling grass frog; loss of biodiversity; bushfire management and the potential impact on environmental values; wetland construction; and drainage and stormwater management relating to the quality and quantity of water entering the growling grass frog wetlands and Edgars Creek, which runs through the site.

Melbourne development firm Riverlee bought the Cooper St former quarry and landfill site in 2015 in partnership with Malaysian company Batu Kawan Berhad, investing more than $1.2 billion in private capital to make New Epping possible.

Project director Ben Rowe said this week the owners were willing to negotiate with authorities, but that VCAT remained “a possible resolution approach” if an agreement could not be reached.

“We enjoy a good working relationship with council and remain extremely positive that the amendments will be resolved to the satisfaction of all parties,” Mr Rowe said.

An artist's impression of the Northern Private Hospital, under construction at New Epping

Riverlee started construction of its $133 million 126-bed Northern Private Hospital, and stage one of its proposed 2500 new dwellings, with council approval, in June 2021.

The first affordable housing apartment building is due for completion in September 2022, and the hospital is expected to be fully operational by early 2024.

Further approvals will be required for projects covering the remainder of the site over the next 10 to 15 years.

Development plans for New Epping include four distinct ‘urban quarters,’ each with their own unique sense of character.

Council documents reveal Riverlee lodged an application for review with VCAT in December 2021 because of the council’s failure to make a decision on the site development plan within a reasonable time frame.

A VCAT hearing is scheduled for August 2022 but the parties both say they are confident it will not be necessary.

The council’s planning and development director, Justin O’Meara, told last week’s meeting New Epping was “probably the most complex development site the City of Whittlesea has ever had to consider”.

New Epping’s 2500 new dwellings will include a percentage of social and affordable housing.

It’s not the first time the growling grass frog has got in the way of developments.

In 2015, Leader reported scientists had called on councils to maintain wetlands in a bid to save the species population.

A scientist was quoted saying: “Housing developments is a really big problem for frogs”.

Riverlee calls New Epping “one of the most ambitious urban renewal projects ever seen in Australia,” promising $4.7 billion in economic benefit to Victoria and 5000 jobs during construction.

At full development, more than 3000 people are forecast to work on the site in sectors ranging from community services, education, healthcare and other businesses.