Former Wantirna Heights School permitted for 51 townhouses

The former school (highlighted) was on Tuesday permitted to be replaced with 51 townhouses.

A year after it acquired the former Wantirna Heights School, in Melbourne’s east, Oz Property Group this week won unanimous councillor support to replace it with 51 townhouses.

At 56 Kingloch Parade, on the south west corner of Greenlow Avenue, the 1.25 hectare block cost the developer $9.71 million.

The property was rezoned for residential use in 2018 – a year after the Department of Education and Training cleared it of buildings.

The primary school’s last classes were held in 2013.

What is planned at the old Wantirna Heights School site

Twenty of the townhouses will rise three storeys, the balance, two.

They will be built on a broad range of lot sizes, the council added, and all be accessed off Kingloch Parade.

A small, centralised space for public use forms part of the approval, penned by DKO Architects and REALM Studios.

Only seven objections were received (story continues below).

“A team of local residents will now be assisting the developer as a sounding board for the detailed designs,” Oz Property sales manager, Scott Williams, said.

“Despite the extensive process to date, we are still keen to engage with the locals…and implement some of the key learnings from the initial phases of community engagement,” the builder’s director and founder, Raghav Goel added.

“The school was a centre of the community for many years, so we are excited to be part of this new phase to create something Wantirna can be proud of”.

The site is about 100 metres from Schultz Reserve.

The suburb is 24 kilometres from the city.

According to REA Group, Wantirna’s median three-bedroom townhouse price $750,000 (it is $785,000 on REIV numbers).

Oz Property is proposing another townhouse development in Richmond the suburb where it is now headquartered, and a loft project in Collingwood.

It has also developed hotels, including the nine year old Mercure Therry Street in the city.

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Marc Pallisco

A former property analyst and print journalist, Marc is the publisher of realestatesource.com.au.