High-rise housing and a modern supermarket may challenge the village feel of downtown Seddon.
Woolworths is understood to be seeking a 20-year lease on the rezoned 1.4-hectare site at 43-57 Buckley Street, which was sold recently to a developer for a record $20.9 million.
The land is site of the Transdev bus depot and its sale was marketed with plans by architects Rothe Lowman for a $200 million development featuring a 4430-square-metre ground-floor supermarket, 399 apartments and 557 car spaces.
The site is next to Victoria University, bounded by Buckley, Walter, Arran and Albert streets. The state government reportedly sold the block to Melbourne Bus Lines in 1998 for
$2.8 million.
Seddon Community Group secretary Pam Mulready said the scale of any future development was likely to have a large impact on Seddon.
“I would hope, with any proposal for the site, there would be consultation with the community,” Ms Mulready said. “It could have a very high impact on the community, particularly on residents in the surrounding streets.”
She said the site was underused and offered positive opportunities if the developers were willing to engage with the community.
“I just hope this is not a complete exploitation and doesn’t impinge on the safety and heritage.”
Colliers International’s Trent Hobart, who helped negotiate the sale, said the site had attracted 145 inquiries and nine offers from a mix of local and offshore buyers.
“The development of this site is exceptionally flexible,” he said. “The site offered developers the opportunity to develop a residential, retail, commercial or a major mixed-use development on a significant island site of activity centre- zoned land.”
Bus operator Transdev plans to vacate the site by July 31 next year.
