Former Banksia Latrobe College, Bellfield, site could get new school as State Government pledges $13m for Viewbank College

THE State Government has not ruled out building a new school on the former Banksia Latrobe College site in Bellfield.

Cash annoucement by State Government at Viewbank College. Premier Denis Napthine with year 12 school captains (L-R) Oskar Casasayas and Claire Youren. Picture: Josie Hayden

THE State Government has not ruled out building a new school on the former Banksia Latrobe College site in Bellfield.

It comes as Premier Denis Napthine and Ivanhoe Liberal candidate Carl Ziebell visited Viewbank College yesterday to promise $13 million to revamp the school if re-elected in November.

The cash will be spent on an auditorium and performing arts centre, music classrooms and administration buildings.

DOES THE AREA NEED MORE SCHOOLS? TELL US BELOW.

The Heidelberg Leader has previously reported the school has been bussing students, teachers and equipment to the Banyule Theatre in Heidelberg.

The announcement comes almost two months after the Labor Party announced it would contribute $11.5 million to the same project.

School principal Judith Craze said she was overwhelmed and delighted by the offer.

Ms Craze said the school — with developed plans for the million-dollar complex — was ready to go to the next phase of the project.

“We’re ready to go and we always have been,” she said.

Ms Craze said the plans would centralise the music and staff areas and the auditorium could be used for exams, which would free up the gymnasium.

“This is about five years of work and the college council has put in a strategic plan … steadily we’ve been working on it and got the plan up and here we are today,” she said.

But Ms Craze said the school faced geographical pressures with a 1100-strong student population forecast to grow to 1350 by 2018.

She said the school had to knock back more than 80 parents who wanted to enrol their children at the school this year.

“We’re in the situation where we’ve knocked back parents who have gone to the region, we’ve knocked them back legitimately and the region’s agreed (with us) then they’ve gone and bought a house (in the area),” Ms Craze said.

During the visit, Dr Napthine told the Heidelberg Leader his party would consider Banyule Council’s offer to buy the former Bankisa Latrobe College site.

“We’d have a look at it but clearly we have a school here that’s a popular school in an area that’s being regenerated and revitalised with a young people,” he said.

“We’ll certainly have a look at it but we’ve put on the table $13 million today to really redevelop the fabric of the school.”