A 58-apartment seniors living proposal for a blue-ribbon suburb in Melbourne has been greenlit.
Villa Maria Catholic Homes (VMCH) has received ministerial planning approval for its St Francis on the Park project at Ivanhoe East.
The organisation filed planning applications for the site in 2022, initially proposing a five-storey, 56-apartment development valued at $35 million before revising and filing the now-approved scheme.
The project, 9km north-east of Melbourne’s CBD, represents a $260 million economic contribution to Victoria and follows more than two years of planning and community consultation.
Ministerial planning permits are granted directly by the planning minister typically for projects considered important to the state, such as housing and aged care developments.
The development aims to address growing demographic needs in the locale—the number of residents aged 65-plus living in Ivanhoe and surrounding areas is expected to increase from 29,000 to 34,035 by 2032.
Jackson Clements Burrows Architects designed the development while landscape specialists Oculus led the environmental design.
The Lower Heidelberg Road site previously housed outdated affordable housing that no longer served residents effectively.
Demolition on the site is scheduled to begin in coming months.
VMCH operates under a for-purpose model, allowing it to generate commercial returns from property sales while reinvesting proceeds into affordable housing and social services.
Chief executive Sonya Smart said the project “not only meets a clear need for local high-quality retirement living but also strengthens our ability to deliver vital services to those who need them most”.
“Retirement developments like St Francis also help free up stock for young families struggling to enter the housing market,” Smart said.
Smart said proceeds from apartment sales would directly support VMCH’s mission-driven initiatives, including more affordable housing projects.
The organisation completed Trinity Lane on nearby Ford Street in 2023, providing 39 apartments for older people on low incomes and people with disability.
VMCH began as the Catholic Braille Writers’ Association in 1907, initially providing accommodation for the blind before expanding into broader social services over more than a century of operation.
St Francis on the Park will join VMCH’s retirement portfolio that also includes communities at Camberwell, Hawthorn and Kew, where the $250-million St Clare development is nearing completion.
