ResidentialClare BurnettWed 04 Nov 26
La Trobe Uni Clears Major Hurdle for 2300-Home Campus Masterplan
Two parcels of land on La Trobe University’s Bundoora campus have been unlocked for development as the university advances its $5-billion city plan.
The Victorian Government has removed historic title restriction on the sites, paving the way for 2300 homes to be developed.
The sites were part of the Unlocking Strategic Sites program, which fast-tracks the rezoning of “underused” land.
La Trobe University will now progress its development application, which will be subject to a full planning assessment and community consultation, the state said.
The projects will include a minimum of 10 per cent affordable housing. Once development is under way, up to $13.6 million “from the value captured from the sale of the land will be reinvested into future projects that support the local area,” the state said.
La Trobe announced last year that it was transforming its 156ha of its 255ha Bundoora (Melbourne) campus into a “thriving city”.
The $5-billion La Trobe University City masterplan detailed four village centres, with 9300 homes included in the plans as well as student accommodation, university space and commercial space.
The city masterplan for the area, 17km east of the Melbourne CBD, will be undertaken over 30 years.
But the area is currently zoned as Public Use—Education, and La Trobe University sought a planning scheme amendment to rezone five areas into precincts.
The North Village would be focused on residential, the East Village centred on student accommodation and the South Village geared towards research and commercial activity.
International developer Plenary was announced as the preferred partner for the university city masterplan in 2022.
