Mirvac 1750-Home Plan Okayed for Former Melbourne Quarry

Mirvac Group has won approval to transform a former quarry site in Melbourne’s south-east into a large-scale residential community.

The developer will partner with Boral to deliver the masterplanned community on a 171ha parcel at Wantirna South, about 25km from the Melbourne CBD.

The project will rehabilitate a former clay quarry and brickworks site, and deliver about 1750 homes as part of one of Australia’s largest infill residential developments.

Mirvac chief executive of development Stuart Penklis said the approval was a key milestone for the group’s national residential pipeline.

“Working closely with government, the community and other key stakeholders, we are turning a strategically located site into a sustainable community that will boost housing supply,” Penklis said.

Boral chief executive and managing director Vik Bansal said the redevelopment was part of the company’s broader strategy to repurpose former operational sites after rehabilitation.

“These projects demonstrate our capability in rehabilitation and reuse of resourced land,” Bansal said.

The Victorian Government backed the redevelopment as part of efforts to increase housing supply across the state.

▲A render of $2-billion Riverlee’s New Epping, planned for a 51ha former quarry and landfill site: Quarries are increasingly being rehabilitated to address housing supply challenges in Victoria.

Victorian planning minister Sonya Kilkenny said the project would convert underutilised land into a residential community while expanding public open space.

The development will comprise a mix of freestanding houses, townhomes and low-rise apartments, with all homes designed as all-electric residences incorporating improved thermal performance and infrastructure for electric vehicle charging.

Alongside new housing, Mirvac and Boral plan to revegetate and dedicate about 68ha of parklands to the state, extending the nearby Jells Park within the Dandenong Valley Parklands corridor.

The project will also improve connections to regional walking and cycling networks to encourage active transport across the site.

Mirvac Victorian residential development general manager Elysa Anderson said the approval unlocked a significant opportunity to restore land that had been privately owned for almost a century.

Subject to further planning approvals, the masterplanned community will also include a neighbourhood centre with a proposed café, medical centre, childcare centre and community hub.

Almost 12ha of open space will be delivered within the community, including sporting ovals, cricket nets, a sports pavilion, playgrounds, barbecue areas and landscaped gardens.

Further details on staging and delivery timelines are expected to be released at a later date.