ResidentialClare BurnettWed 24 Jun 26
Victoria Plots Housing Precinct for Former Footscray Hospital Site
Plans are in the works for a new housing precinct to rise on the site of the former Footscray Hospital.
Public consultation has begun on a draft masterplan for the 6.6ha site, which is “a significant opportunity to deliver a vibrant precinct with homes, open space and community uses,” according to Development Victoria.
The Gordon Street site was closed to patients in February 2026 and replaced by the $1.5-billion Footscray Hospital campus on Ballarat Road, 1.5km south of the hospital it replace.
Dubbed the “People’s Hospital”, the community raised funds to buy the site for healthcare, beginning in the 1920s.
The facilities, built in 1953, were beginning to show their age in the 2000s and in the 2010s there were calls to revitalise or replace the hospital. It was decided to shut it down to make way for an urban renewal project.
The site, 8km north-west of the Melbourne CBD, includes the heritage-listed Brutalist-design psychiatric hospital. Part of the site was once a quarry, which will require remediation works.
An initial community consultation for the site was undertaken between November 2023 and February 2024.
The current draft plan for the site details diverse and affordable housing sections, and a public open space for the former quarry. It does not specify the number of homes that could be built on the site.
The site neightbours Maribrynong City Council land and the council has made several recommendations for the site, including mixed-use development with an activated ground plane. It recommends buildings up to eight storeys.
The consultation process is open until July 26.
The state is seeking public opinions on facilities and recreational uses, and will consider how to improve traffic flow in and around the site.
Development Victoria executive general manager, investment and portfolio management Alex Kennedy said the draft masterplan will guide future investment and development decisions.
“We’re looking forward to engaging with the community again around how to strengthen connections, improve traffic flow, and identify the types of recreational spaces and facilities they would like to see,” Kennedy said.
Development Victoria will shortly begin demolition and site works to prepare the site for future redevelopment, which is expected to take two years. Planning and community engagement will continue.
Development Victoria will share draft concepts and report back on the consultation by October 2026, it said.
