A student village housing more than 500 Victoria University students will tower 13 storeys above Ballarat Road in Footscray after being given the green light by the state higher education minister.
Works are under way on the project to replace the university’s ageing student village in Maidstone with a series of four towers to be built on an existing car park on the corner of Tiernan Street.
Neighbouring residents have criticised the lack of consultation about the project and say the scale is completely out of keeping with the area.
They have raised concerns about the height of the buildings, lack of parking, loss of privacy and the impact of prolonged construction.
But Victoria University facilities director Gary Carter said the university had considered and adopted ongoing suggestions and comments from Maribyrnong council officers during the design process.
“We’ve worked closely with council officers since the project design began to ensure we met the planning requirements for a project of this type, notwithstanding the general exemption which universities have from needing to meet such requirements,” Mr Carter said. “VU is pleased to receive Maribyrnong City Council’s general endorsement of the project design.”
Victoria University says it has already held one community information session and plans another, but residents say the meeting only came about because they pushed for it. Mel and Ally Doyle, who live alongside the development site, said the first they knew of the project was when heavy machinery arrived and fencing was erected.
“It’s going to affect the value of these homes quite considerably,” Mel said.
“We’re being woken by construction and there’s going to be hundreds of students looking right onto this yard,” Ally said.
A Department of Education and Early Childhood Development spokesman said Higher Education Minister Nick Wakeling had provided conditional approval for the project on June 6. “Formal approval to enter into the lease arrangement is conditional on receipt of final signed copies of relevant commercial and project documentation.”
The spokesman said most of Victoria University’s existing student accommodation at the student village in Maidstone was well past its use-by date.
“The proposed new building will allow the university to provide quality accommodation options for students at the Footscray Park campus.”
The project is scheduled to be completed by January 2016.
