The Valley Park project spreads across a dozen Westmeadows streets, including Dimboola Road and Erinbank Crescent.
The project was unveiled in 2008 when the then Premier John Brumby, detailed plans to comprehensively redevelop The Mews public housing estate in Westmeadows. The initial plan was to grow the estate from 94 public housing tenancies to 110 new public housing homes.
The Redevelopment will include:
- new public housing
- new homes for private sale
- a new aged care centre
- new parks and pathways
- improved community facilities.
In 2014 The Star Weekly reported that “Work is under way on the $160 million redevelopment of the 1980s-built Mews public housing estate in Westmeadows.” They went on to quote a spokesperson, saying;
“This project will comprise about 30 per cent public housing tenants with the balance being owner-occupiers or private renters.
“The mixed community [housing] will be built in such a way as to ensure public housing is indistinguishable from all other housing.”
In October 2015 the DHHS Annual Report stated that the first eight public housing homes have been completed and tenanted. The Report states that the current project will deliver 144 “social housing homes”.
Another important part of the project is providing aged care, so that people can remain in their own communities as they grow older.
Another aspect of the plan was for Baptcare to develop and manage a 90-bed aged-care centre on nearby government-owned land. A number of those beds were to be made available to public housing tenants.
We expect the DHHS Annual Report, due to be tabled in October, will provide new figures on the project, and we will provide further updates then.