Cade Lucas
Wyndham council has said it will continue to advocate for the East Werribee Employment Precinct in response to the state government’s housing and planning reforms announced last week.
While prediminantly not a residential development, the East Werribee project was listed in the statement alongside Docklands, Fisherman’s Bend, Footscray and Sunshine, as precincts that would receive priority planning treatment due to the amount of jobs they could provide in inner and middle suburbs and growth areas.
A 775 hectare greenfield site bordered by the Princes Highway, Duncans Road and Hacketts Road, East Werribee is proposed as a research, education and technology hub that will deliver almost 60,000 jobs.
In 2016 , Australian Education City was chosen as the preferred bidder for 400 hectares in the centre of the site which it proposed to turn into an international university precinct along with retail, office, and entertainment developments, a heritage park and botanic gardens.
Uncertainty has surrounded the status of the development since, but Wyndham council used its inclusion in the housing statement to reiterate its support.
“The activation of the East Werribee Employment Precinct remains council’s number one advocacy priority,” said a Wyndham council spokesperson.
“For many years we’ve made clear our strong view that this parcel of land be developed with a primary focus of job creation, as per the plan unveiled a decade ago.”
According to the housing statement the Victorian Planning Authority will continue to develop Precinct Structure Plans (PSPs) for priority developments, but
a spokesperson for Wyndham council said this work on the East Werribee development had already begun.
“We were pleased last year when the state government announced $2.8 million for a review of the Precinct Structure Plan and a road map for the development of the site. We’ve had a seat at the table for these discussions, working constructively with our colleagues in the state government. We’ve also consistently discussed this with elected state representatives, including MPs and Ministers,” the spokesperson said.
“We look forward to continuing this work.”
Developments on industrial land at Werribee Junction and Mambourin East were also included in the statement but are listed as being subject to due diligence.
