The Victorian Government has announced the next phase of what it says is Australia’s largest urban renewal project, with seven public housing towers set to be redeveloped across Melbourne’s inner suburbs.
Housing and Building Minister Harriet Shing said the towers, located across six estates in Albert Park, Flemington, Kensington, North Melbourne, Prahran and St Kilda, were nearing the end of their useful lives and no longer met modern building standards.
The towers have been criticised for poor noise insulation, limited energy efficiency and ventilation, lack of private open space, and shortcomings in accessibility, sustainability and seismic safety.
Under the High-Rise Redevelopment Program, all 44 high-rise public housing towers across 39 hectares of inner-city Melbourne are to be demolished and replaced with new homes. The government says the redevelopments will triple housing capacity across the sites and deliver energy-efficient and accessible dwellings.
Residents living in the seven towers will begin relocating from July, with each household assigned a dedicated relocations officer to assist with the move. The government says residents will be prioritised to remain in their local area if they choose, and will receive support with address changes and connections to schools, services and infrastructure.
Homes Victoria will also launch a peer-support initiative, the Hand in Hand Community Support Program, which will link residents who have already relocated with those still living in the towers, offering information and reassurance during the relocation process.
Redevelopments are already underway at several high-rise estates, including Carlton, Flemington, North Melbourne, South Yarra and Richmond, with demolition progressing at Carlton’s Elgin Towers. New public housing projects are also being built in Port Melbourne, South Yarra, Prahran and Flemington, including the Barak Beacon estate, which is due for completion later this year.
The government says more than 11,300 public housing homes are underway or complete across Victoria as part of a $6.3 billion investment, with more than 5,000 households already moved into newly built properties.
Minister Shing said replacing the ageing towers was necessary to ensure public housing residents had safe and suitable homes into the future.
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