Wyndham City calls for action on East Werribee

Wyndham City has called on the State Government to deliver some certainty for the East Werribee Precinct to create jobs and boost one of the largest local economies in Victoria.

Wyndham Mayor, Cr Adele Hegedich, said the site had now been vacant for years.

“This is a missed opportunity. We need the State Government to work with Council and prioritise decisions around the future of the site,” Cr Hegedich said.

Future Focussed Economy portfolio holder Cr Mia Shaw said work on a masterplan for the site should begin immediately.

“At 775 hectares, this is the biggest opportunity in Victoria right now to kickstart the economy post Covid,” Cr Shaw said.

“The precinct masterplan should be focussed on building the local economy and boosting local jobs,” she said.

“What we need for this site is an approach that provides the foundation for a robust local economy and reimagines office space for a post-Covid world,” she said.

“This is an opportunity to provide contemporary retail experiences and 21st century commercial development that recognises the benefits of working and shopping close to home as aspired to in Plan Melbourne through the 20-minute neighbourhoods.”

The 775-hectare East Werribee precinct is the largest undeveloped surplus State Government land in metropolitan Melbourne, and includes the 400-hectare site known as the East Werribee Major Development Parcel.

“I am concerned that the site will be used predominantly for housing and not what it was intended for – local jobs. We don’t need housing in this precinct area, ” Cr Shaw said.

Currently, a portion of the site is used as a medical and technology hub with two major hospitals, a private medical specialist centre, three universities and health research operating from East Werribee.

The Victorian Planning Authority completed a Structure Plan (PSP) for the East Werribee Employment Precinct in October 2013. It was designed to guide the development of a mixed-use precinct that would create opportunities for 58,300 local jobs as well as homes, key infrastructure, advanced integrated water cycle management, sports facilities, and local parks.