A town centre and housing will be among the first developments in Wyndham’s newest suburb.
The state government is calling for expressions of interest from companies keen to develop East Werribee’s first major parcel of land.
The government and Metropolitan Planning Authority are seeking industry proposals
to develop a 400-hectare parcel at East |Werribee on the site of the former State Research Farm.
The new suburb, which will include 7000 houses and the long-awaited Werribee Employment Precinct, was given the green light by the government last October.
The 400-hectare site being offered includes 135 hectares that have been set aside for residential developments and 142 hectares for commercial and mixed use buildings.
The remaining 123 hectares will be used for parks, waterways and roads.
Authority chief executive Peter Seamer said the land presented developers with a chance to create “something that hasn’t been done before”.
“The government’s vision for East Werribee is for it to become a hub for health, learning and innovation,” he said.
Mr Seamer said it would create investment opportunities, promote diversity in housing and provide critical transport infrastructure.
“This is something that hasn’t been done before,” he said. “We need something like this in the western part of Melbourne.”
The authority wants the 400-hectare site to include a town centre based around a central lake and park, as well as commercial and high-density residential developments.
Expressions of interest in the parcel will be sought in the next five weeks, with submissions potentially short-listed in August to allow for more detailed proposals to be submitted.
Mr Seamer said it was likely a preferred bidder would be selected by October.
The successful bidder will be asked to set aside $100 million for contamination works and $50 million for the waterways.
Wyndham chief executive Kerry Thompson said the expression of interest process was a “vitally important step” in developing Werribee as the capital of Melbourne’s west.
“The announcement builds momentum in achieving the target of 58,000 new jobs in East Werribee,” she said.
