02 // INTRODUCING THE MARIBYRNONG DEFENCE SITE

02 //

INTRODUCING THE MARIBYRNONG DEFENCE SITE

SITE LOCATION //

Figure 2.0 Metropolitan Plan The Maribyrnong Defence Site is a 128 hectare parcel of Commonwealth land, located in the City of Maribyrnong. The site is partially encircled by the Maribyrnong river and sits approximately 10 km northwest of Melbourne’s CBD. The site borders State Route 32 on the south side. Highpoint is the closest activity centre for the site, located adjacent to the southeast border of the site. With 128 hectares, the site is one of the most significant urban infill redevelopment opportunities in Metropolitan Melbourne.

Figure 2.1 Current view on the site

SITE HISTORY //

The site belongs to the people of the Wurrung Country. After European settlement, the site was used as farmland. Around 1900, the Australian government purchased the site for the use and construction of an explosives factory. During World War II, many explosives were manufactured and tested on the site. A total of 8,000 men and women were working on the site. After World War II, the factory was used for explosives recovery and destruction.

The manufacturing output changed in 1960, with a shift towards rocket propellants, assembly of rocket motors and missile components; alongside laboratory activities. The remainder of the site is still being used by Defence and CSIRO also undertakes research on the site. In 1994, the explosives factory closes and material research was the only activity that continued. Large parts of the site were left unused. In 2006, Defence Australia stopped using the site entirely.

In 2004, an assessment of the site’s contamination commenced and the Australian Government announced in 2009 that the land would be sold to the Victorian Government for mixed-use development. Since, the development of the site is contentious and there is still no definitive consensus on the future development of the Maribyrnong Defence Site (Australian Government, n.d.).

Figure 2.2 Historic timeline of the Maribyrnong Defence Site

OVER 130 DANGEROUS CHEMICALS PRESENT

Figure 2.3 Decontaminated Area Plan

Project Viability: Development Value > $400 million DECONTAMINATED AREA

Scenario A: Commonwealth sells land to developer as is Scenario B: Government(s) bares the costs and develop the site themselves

Developer bares clean up cost potentially resulting in no community benefits Greatest chance of maximising community benefits

Scenario C: Public-private partnership between government, private developers and affordable housing provides

Given project scale, sharing the risk makes sense to deliver community benefits

Contamination //

As a result of its previous land use as an explosives factory, the land upon the Maribyrnong Defence Site is heavily contaminated with over 130 dangerous chemicals currently present (Knaus, 2020). Any future development on this land is entirely dependant upon the remediation of the chemicals and explosive which litter the site.

As seen in Figure 2.3, only a small portion on the southern boundary has been decontaminated by the Department of Defence. In most remediation cases, the Department of Defence typically ‘cleans up’ the site for the benefit of future development. However in the case of the Maribyrnong Defence Site, the scale of remediation far exceeds the capabilities and financial means of the Department. On The House has liaised with a private development firm interested in acquiring the site, and it was estimated that the cost of remediation would be approximately $400 million.

Although the Commonwealth Government was initially going to remediate the site and sell it to a private developer, this is no longer the case and the responsibility of the clean up is currently undecided and highly controversial. Figure 2.4 outlines the various scenarios for the remediation of the subject site.

Scenario A entails that the Commonwealth Government sells the land to a developer as is, meaning that the developer would bare the cost of the remediation and would have the sole responsibility of developing the site. Given the enormous cost of remediation, this scenario is highly unlikely and may even result in a lack of community and public benefits.

Scenario B suggests that the government bares the cost of the clean up, and is also responsible for developing the site. In this scenario Development Victoria is likely to become a key stakeholder and play a major role in the site’s development. However, although this option is likely to yield the most community benefits, the cost of remediation is almost double most departments yearly budget and would be a very costly endeavor for the Commonwealth Government to undertake

Scenario C is the preferred option, where there is shared partnership and responsibility between government, private developers, and affordable housing providers. Given the scale of the project, sharing the risk and financial obligation makes the most sense to deliver community benefits. However, this scenario will be the most difficult to coordinate and it may be difficult to balance the competing interests of all those involved.

In light of the current health and economic crisis caused by COVID-19, it is predicted that the significant cost of remediation paired with the current economic downturn may hinder project viability in the coming years. Many government agencies will not have adequate funds to back this project, and developers and currently facing a downturn in the market with slowed overseas investors. 9

Existing Site Conditions //

The subject site is 127.8 ha and bounded by the Maribyrnong River on the west, north, and north east interface. Raleigh Road runs along the southern border of the site, and the east interface consists of older low dwellings.

There are currently six existing road connections into the site, and a bus and tram route on the southern boundary along Raleigh Road.

Almost two thirds of the site is bounded by the natural interface of the Maribyrnong River, with an approximate 50m wide embankment abutting the water course. The highest point of the site is just south east of the centre of the site.

There are multiple existing buildings on site, all of which are subject to further heritage investigation.

In addition, as per the Maribyrnong River Valley Design Guidelines (Maribyrnong City Council, 2010) parts of the site are prone to flooding however, the site has not had any formal assessment yet due to it being owned by the Federal Government.

Figure 2.6 Existing Site Barriers

Existing Barriers //

The Maribyrnong Defence site is encircled by the Maribyrnong river. This river is a significant feature of the region and forms a major natural barrier for easy movement. There are currently few crossings over the river (see yellow arrows figure 2.6). There are only three pedestrian bridges and two road-pedestrian bridges.

Development of the Defence site is an important opportunity to improve transport connections in the area. Maximising the connectivity is desirable to ensure development of the Defence site is not isolated from the existent surrounding urban structure.

However, the types of connection proposed need to be considered carefully as they will have a significant impact, some positive and others negative, on the liveability of the future development. The existing road crossings direct traffic east-west and are already at capacity. It is therefore likely that any north-south road, which would connect the areas of Essendon and Keilor East directly to Maidstone, crossing would experience large traffic volumes significantly reducing liveability of the development. This would be a poor outcome.

Demographics & Target Market //

People and Age //

Cultural and Language Diversity //

The following demographic analysis of Maribyrnong will give an indication of the housing needs for the area. Factors such as the household structure, ethnicity, dwelling types and the economic profile give insight of what is required for the growth of the area and how to make in inclusive, diverse and affordable.

In the 2016 Census, there were 12,216 people in Maribyrnong (State Suburb level). Of these, 49.6% were male and 50.4% female. Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people made up 0.4% of the population. The median age of people in Maribyrnong is 33 years (ABS, 2016). Children aged 0 - 14 years made up 14.7% of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 8.3% of the population. The most common ancestries in Maribyrnong were Chinese 13.3%, English 12.8%, Australian 11.8%, Vietnamese 10.7% and Italian 6.5%. Out of these ancestries 50.0% of people were born in Australia. The most common countries of birth were Vietnam 10.1%, China (excludes SARs and Taiwan) 5.8%, India 3.4%, Malaysia 1.6% and New Zealand 1.5% (ABS, 2016).

Dwelling Structure //

Of occupied private dwellings in Maribyrnong (State Suburbs), 34.0% were separate houses, 37.3% were semi-detached, row or terrace houses, townhouses etc, 28.5% were flat or apartments and 0.0% were other dwellings.

Household Composition //

Of the families in Maribyrnong (State Suburbs), 45.9% were couple families with children, 38.6% were couple families without children and 12.2% were one parent families.

Income, Occupation, and Industry //

The median weekly personal income for people aged 15 years and over in Maribyrnong was $779. Of the employed people, 4.3% worked in Cafes and Restaurants. Other major industries of employment are Hospitals (except Psychiatric Hospitals) 4.0%, Banking 2.9%, Computer System Design and Related Services 2.8% and Higher Education 2.0%. The most common occupations includes Professionals 26.5%, Managers 14.7%, Clerical and Administrative Workers 14.2%, Sales Workers 10.8%, and Community and Personal Service Workers 10.8% (ABS, 2016).

The dwelling structure is mainly detached houses and few are apartments. Likewise, the family make up is mostly couples with children. The median weekly household income is approximately $2250. This data has enabled us to improve housing and focus on the missing middle, hoping that with an influx of different families or people within the region might increase job opportunities and increase the prospects of a 20-minute affordable neighbourhood.

Site Context //

The maps below show the existing community infrastructure and context in which the Maribyrnong Defence site sits. The immediate surrounding employment hubs mainly consist of retail and light industrial industries. The regional employment context will be discussed further in the report.

In addition, figure 2.8 shows that although there are transport connections into the site, there are some gaps in the network particularly towards the north. Figure 2.9 indicates the potential for the site to strengthen the existing green space network, which could connect to the existing trails and linear parks which already existing around the site.

Furthermore, the site is fairly well serviced by schools (primary and secondary) however there isn’t an even distribution, with significantly more schools towards the west of the site.

Figure 2.7 Employment hubs Figure 2.8 Transport network

Figure 2.11 Zoning Plan

Figure 2.12 Overlay Plan

Zones and Overlays //

The Maribyrnong Defence Site is currently zoned Commonwealth land and hence the site is not controlled by the planning scheme. The site was first zoned commonwealth land, often referred to as crown land, due to the defence operations used on site. This no longer applies today, and the future development of the site is dependant on future rezoning. The site is regulated by a Subject to Inundation Overlay and a Public Acquisition Overlay (DELWP, 2020).

Existing Planning Documents //

A wide range of strategic planning policy is relevant to this project, inclusive of Plan Melbourne 2017-2050, Defence Site Maribyrnong Statement of Policy Intent and Maribyrnong Shared Vision.

Plan Melbourne 2017-2050 provides guidance on how the growing city should develop affordable and accessible housing, with an emphasis on inclusivity and sustainability. One of Plan Melbourne’s principles is the implementation of 20-minute neighbourhoods. Footscray and Sunshine are targeted as metropolitan activity centres and Highpoint is designated as a major activity centre (DELWP, 2017).

Defence Site Maribyrnong Statement of Policy Intent is a short document which outlines the background and expectations of the Victoria State Government for the development of the site. Some critical outcomes for the site are diversity of type, scale and density in regards to housing and public access along the entire Maribyrnong River frontage (VPA. 2018).

Finally, the Maribyrnong Shared Vision draws on the first community consultation concerning the development of the site. Some principles that came out of this consultation is public access to the river and surrounding landscape, celebrating Indegenous heritage and recognising munitions history, and bringing new energy to Melbourne’s west (VicUrban, 2010).

Community Engagement Outcomes //

Between June and September 2018, the VPA has undertaken community engagement together with the City of Maribyrnong and two consultancies for the development of the Maribyrnong Defence site. A wide range of engagement methods have been used and the outcomes inform the decisions made for this project. The outcomes can be summarized into eight points:

Celebrate the Heritage, and Stories of Place and Indigenous Culture

Provide an Integrated Multi-Modal Public Transport System

Create Quality Open Spaces and Places for Recreation

Address current congestion issues

Enable Access to the Maribyrnong River and Natural Assets

Provide a Diversity of Housing Types and Residents

Ensure Transparent Communication around Remediation

Incorporate Authentic places to Meet and Linger

Given the recent completion of this community engagement, we use these outcomes as a basis for our draft precinct structure plan, rather than starting our own engagement process (VPA, 2018). Figure 2.13 Engagement Summary Planning Document

Figure 2.14 Highpoint Structure Plan

Highpoint Planning and Urban Design Framework //

Highpoint Activity Centre is located adjacent to the the Maribyrnong Defence Site. Highpoint is one of Melbourne's least developed activity centres historically centred around introverted land uses such as Highpoint Shopping Centre and large box retail providers.

Planning and Urban Design Framework Intentions

Since 2015 a new vision was outlined, a vision which would see Highpoint become a lifestyle, employment and retail hub for its local 20-minute neighbourhood. This would be easily accessible by foot, bike and public transport. A green walkable activity centre with a diverse mix of residential properties for a variety of lifestyles and local jobs for local people centred around enterprise encapsulate the future of Highpoint Activity Centre.

Opportunities for Sybil Craig Quarter

The close proximity of the two sites naturally suggests any development of the Defence Site needs to respect and respond to the aims of the Highpoint Activity Centre. Rosamond Road, for instance, is identified in the Framework as the spine of the activity centre and thus it is sensible for this road to form a major access route into the Defence Site. Employment wise, Highpoint is focused on providing CBD style employment hence, the Defence Site could provide space for light industrial and innovation jobs through the use of Commercial Zone 3. Highpoint has also laid the groundwork for reducing car dependence. The framework stipulates car parking should be visible from the street, with infrastructure prioritising walking, cycling and public transport as the main modes of travel. (Maribyrnong City Council, 2015).

Figure 2.15 Highpoints relationship to the Defence Site Figure 2.16 Highpoint Concept Renders