By Benjamin Millar
A 6000-home suburb is one step closer to being built on a contaminated former defence site in Maribyrnong.
The Department of Defence has opened a registrations of interest process in developing the abandoned site, a 128-hectare parcel of land adjacent to the Maribyrnong River.
The federal government last year pulled out of long-running negotiations over the site with Development Victoria, the state government’s development arm, then failed to find a suitable purchaser through a tender process.
The site remains heavily contaminated with a cocktail of chemicals as a result of its long history as an explosives factory.
Only a small portion of the site has been decontaminated and clean-up costs are tipped to reach $500 million, raising the prospect of higher-density development to recoup costs.
Defence has stipulated that interested buyers will need to have demonstrated experience undertaking large-scale urban development and site remediation projects, as well as the financial capacity to acquire, remediate and develop the site.
Developers will also need to demonstrate sensitivity to heritage, given the site contains a number of historic buildings.
The Victorian Planning Authority is creating a planning framework for the site, which will be subject to state planning controls.
Registrations of interest close on November 19, after which a list of eligible purchasers will be invited to progress to the expression of interest stage.
