Gateway block to East Werribee Employment Precinct seeks developer
A gateway site – but to what, exactly, has been listed in Werribee.
The 2.24 hectare tract at 246-248 Hoppers Lane, near Hoppers Crossing train station and with 200 metres of Princes Highway frontage, is zoned Commercial 1 and can make way for 12-level structures.
The vendor is represented by CBRE Victorian Development Site Sales’ David Minty and Sandro Peluso, from the agency’s Social Infrastructure department.
Recently departed Savills directors, Greg Jensz and Tim Casanelia’s ICG Property are conjunctional brokers.
At the top and busiest tip of the suburb’s healthcare precinct, the site is near Mercy Health, St Vincent’s Private Hospital and Women’s Health Hub.
The Werribee campuses of both Victoria University and University of Melbourne is on the next block, west.
The parcel also adjoins land permitted for a 65,000 sqm retail and business centre.
High density residential or offices are development outcomes – the agents said – as is a hotel (Pelligra Group is building a 12-storey guesthouse in the suburb at 69 Synnot Street).
Hoppers Lane a gateway to the state government’s largest undeveloped surplus site
Hoppers Lane connects to the state government’s largest undeveloped metropolitan surplus site – 775 hectares presently utilised by the CSIRO (story continues below).
In 2013 some 400ha of that public parcel was earmarked for commercial-based renewal – an initiative known in planning documents as the East Werribee Employment Precinct.
Four years ago, the government assigned a consortium to build a $31 billion village on that slice: Australian Education City as it was then branded was to have included manufactured lakes surrounded by residential and office skyscrapers, a town centre, four schools and a 40,000 place university.
However last July in a surprise move, that agreement was shelved, without replacement plans.
It is unclear what will become of East Werribee Employment Precinct parcel, now, including whether more of the land could be sold for housing.
CBRE said 246-248 Hoppers Ln is already passed by more than 19,000 cars a day.
Mr Peluso added that Werribee “rivals many of the country’s largest healthcare hubs, including those in the centre of the CBD such as North Melbourne”.
“Couple this with a forecast population growth of 87 per cent by 2041, and the outlook really is very positive for the location”.
Werribee is about 32 kilometres south west of Melbourne – almost half way to Geelong on the Princes Freeway.
