Hamton, Hostplus appointed to $7b Arden Central
Hamton and Hostplus have been appointed to redevelop government-owned land around Melbourne’s new Arden Station, with a $7 billion plan for 5400 homes, a 5000-capacity music venue and a University of Melbourne campus.
The appointment formalises a project whose proposed mix of housing, entertainment and education uses was disclosed earlier this month after details were inadvertently published on a staging website associated with the successful bidder.
The joint venture was selected following a competitive tender run by Development Victoria on behalf of the state government.
The pair are also co-developing Moonee Valley Park, on the former western edge of the Moonee Valley Racecourse, in Moonee Ponds.
Other bidders
The other bidders were Australian Unity with Formus Property, Community Housing Limited and Lyons; Gurner and MAB Corporation with Women’s Housing Limited and SOM; and Lendlease Development with Assemble, Scape and Keyton.
The Hamton and Lendlease-led consortiums made the shortlist.
The announcement comes four years since Labor announced a new Royal Melbourne and Royal Women’s hospital precinct for this area ahead of the November 2022 election then abandoned it in the May 2024 budget.
25-year plan
Arden, about 1.5 kilometres north-west of Melbourne’s CBD, is expected to accommodate more than 10,000 residents alongside retail, community facilities and 5.5ha of open space.
The development will be delivered progressively over 25 years.
Initial civil infrastructure works will precede the first residential building, which is expected to be completed by 2032.
Stage one is expected to deliver about 1700 homes across 45 per cent of the precinct.
The proposed towers could reach 40-storeys under the broader Arden precinct’s 2021 planning framework, which placed the tallest buildings along the rail corridor and CityLink.
Those controls applied across the wider 46ha precinct. Hamton and Hostplus renders show towers that height (continues below).
Live music venue
Live Nation will deliver and operate a 5000-capacity live music venue expected to host more than 100 events annually.
The venue could open in 2030, two years before the first homes are due, although that timing should be treated as a proposed schedule rather than a confirmed construction commitment.
Hamton and Hostplus’s precinct will also include an extension of the University of Melbourne’s Melbourne School of Design, to be known as MSD+, and a new Melbourne Victory Football Club campus with women’s and youth pathway programs, community sporting facilities and a shared community hub.
Retail plans include a full-line Coles supermarket, smaller-format shops, outdoor dining, a gym, childcare and offices.
A site has also been identified for a future government primary school, complementing the planned secondary school elsewhere in Arden.
The project is also targeting a 6-Star Green Star Communities rating.
Chunk of homes for FHB
Up to 10 per cent of homes in the first stage will be offered to first-home buyers, according to the development partners.
The project is expected to support more than 1100 full-time equivalent on-site jobs once complete.
Hamton founder and executive chairman Paul Hameister said the precinct would combine housing, culture, sport and public space.
“Opportunities to create an entirely new part of Melbourne at this scale, just 1.5km from the CBD, will not be replicated in modern times,” according to the executive.
Hostplus chief executive David Elia added the investment was intended to generate long-term returns for members while contributing to housing supply and community infrastructure.
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