The first stage of the 1450-apartment redevelopment of the former Kinnears rope factory site in Footscray is officially under way.
Stage one of the $750 million Live City redevelopment by developers R&F Property Australia includes a 15-level building housing the first 208 of almost 1500 new dwellings to be built at the western end of the site, between Ballarat Road and Kinnears Street.
The developers plan to demolish many of the buildings on the 3.3-hectare heritage-listed site, incorporating various elements of the 1908 former ropeworks into the project.
Speaking at last week’s launch, R&F Property Australia vice-president Thomas Chiu said the company had been working on its vision for the site since 2014.
“We are pleased to be starting a new journey with our partner L.U. Simon Builder,” he said.
“We are looking to deliver a unique project and set a new benchmark for quality.”
L.U. Simon Builder construction director Jim Moschoyiannis said the company was excited to be involved in the project.
“R&F can rest assured that with the collaboration of our excellent design partners, Peddle Thorp Architects, we will deliver a quality project that will satisfy the needs of the developer and the community,” he said.
The Kinnears site was rezoned in 2011 and in 2012 a special planning overlay was created to pave the way for redevelopment.
The project is one of Melbourne’s largest single-site residential developments.
The six-stage project includes the construction of a new road linking Ballarat Road to Kinnear Street and is expected to take between six and eight years to complete.
