Riverlee’s $2bn Quarry Transformation Greenlit

Melbourne developer Riverlee will forge ahead on its 51ha former quarry site at New Epping after the City of Whittlesea Council approved the $2-billion mixed-use plans. 

The new masterplanned community 18km north of Melbourne’s CBD will transform the Epping quarry into a five neighbourhood community comprising residential, commercial, healthcare and retail, centred around a green spine. 

The project will create 622 construction jobs over its 15-year build program, and once completed contribute more than $3.4 billion to the economy, about 1 per cent of Victoria’s current GDP. 

Riverlee development director David Lee said New Epping would set a benchmark in how an integrated mixed-use development can meet the demands of a rapidly growing population.

“We want New Epping to set a new standard in urban renewal, with a more thoughtful approach to how we regenerate infill sites and integrate mixed-use communities,” Lee said. 

“Diversity is key to the success in a mixed-use precinct—that is what makes for a resilient community.”

▲ The new masterplanned community will transform a disused quarry site into a masterplanned community with five distinct neighbourhoods.

The city is expected to grow exponentially in the next two decades, from 220,000 people to 380,000 in 2041.

The project would create about 2000 homes with a focus on walkable neighbourhoods with a diverse mix of housing typologies, including townhomes, apartments, affordable housing, retirement residences and aged care.

Residential and commercial precincts will be connected by a civic heart, complete with parks, cafes and recreation facilities.

“Across five neighbourhoods, we will be delivering a range of commercial, healthcare, residential and civic spaces that will cement Epping as the CBD of Melbourne’s north,” Lee said. 

“In doing so, we want to bring all the character you find in the inner north of Melbourne to Epping and in that sense, this project is ahead of its time and will redefine the suburbs of the future.”

Lee said a 7ha health, wellness and knowledge precinct next to the Northern Private Hospital, now under construction, would create an additional 646 jobs in allied health. 

“The healthcare sector is of critical importance to the City of Whittlesea, not only in terms of patient care but also as the city’s largest employer,” Lee said. 

“The provision of a new health and wellness precinct at New Epping will guarantee the wellbeing of its residents, create jobs and help the state’s healthcare system cope with demand.”

The masterplan also provides for 110,000sq m of commercial space, along with retail and hospitality, supporting an additional 5742 workers to the area. 

City of Whittlesea chair administrator Lydia Wilson said Riverlee’s vision to transform the dormant site would provide significant benefit to the growing northern corridor and its community.

“This landmark project will provide employment opportunities, economic stimulus and the infrastructure required to create a vibrant urban environment that is underpinned by wellness and sustainability,” she said. 

“Riverlee has created a vision for New Epping that builds on the cornerstones of our community—healthcare as our leading industry, the need for quality housing for people at all stages of life, and sustainability as a way of ensuring a bright and healthy future for our younger generations. 

“With its challenging site conditions, the former Epping Quarry has laid dormant for decades. Its transformation is something the entire community can look forward to.”

Approval of the first stage of New Epping was fast-tracked by the Victorian Government’s Building Victoria’s Recovery Taskforce in December, 2020. Further permits for additional stages are expected to be lodged this year.