“Inadequate consultation”: West Melbourne car park to be turned  into affordable housing

Words by Jon Fleetwood & Sean Car

Traders and locals in North and West Melbourne have expressed their frustration with the City of Melbourne over its handling of a proposal to transform two local car parks into affordable housing. 

At the council’s August 27 meeting, councillors unanimously voted to proceed with leasing only one of the two car parks at 325-341 Victoria St in West Melbourne after the community raised significant concerns with the process leading up to its decision. 

The council’s other proposal to lease the current car park at 44-60 Curzon St in North Melbourne for redevelopment into affordable housing has been deferred until the Victoria St site is completed and its impact assessed.

It followed a meeting hosted by the North & West Melbourne Precinct Association (NWMPA) on August 26 where more than 50 local residents and traders met with Lord Mayor Nick Reece. 

Among the key concerns raised were what many described as an “inadequate consultation process”, with many locals claiming they either weren’t notified about the proposal or meaningfully engaged by the council’s management. 

While many supported the provision of more affordable housing in the municipality, those who were consulted expressed frustration over ambiguous survey questions and a lack of clear detail on the types of housing or residents that would be accommodated.

Safety concerns were also raised given the Victoria St carpark’s location opposite the Flagstaff Crisis Accommodation centre on Roden St. 

With 50 new residents expected to be housed at the Victoria St site, it’s also understood that the development would likely rise to at least five stories, triggering concerns about the potential impact on the area’s heritage. 

While the Curzon St site was preferred for affordable housing among those who responded to the council’s survey, a petition signed by 156 people saw it deferred from current plans. 

Many in attendance at the August 26 community meeting were critical of the council for trying to “minimise feedback” and rushing consultation to pursue its own affordable housing targets. 

In a letter from the NWMPA to the council, it stated that while the intention to address the housing crisis was “commendable and necessary”, the approach taken to community consultation and handling feedback had raised significant concerns. 

In its report tabled on August 27, council officers recommended to proceed with only one site following assessment of the divided community feedback, council policy, site suitability and findings from ongoing car parking studies. 

For the West Melbourne site, the council will now go out to tender for a community housing provider to build, lease and manage the development. 

While acknowledging the strong views, Lord Mayor Nick Reece said that the proposal kept the “wheels turning” on the rollout of affordable housing on land owned by the City of Melbourne – an action identified in its affordable housing strategy in 2020.

Outlining its vision and role in helping end the housing crisis, the council’s strategy estimates a shortfall of around 6000 affordable homes within the municipality. 

The council has also set a target of 100 affordable housing units to be delivered by June 2025.

In expressing his support for the West Melbourne initiative, Cr Rohan Leppert said that it would be “irresponsible” for the council not to uphold its 2025 commitment on affordable housing. 

While also supporting the move, the council’s health, wellbeing and belonging portfolio lead Cr Dr Olivia Ball expressed her disappointment that both sites weren’t being progressed as soon as possible.

“It’s with great disappointment to me that both sites are not recommended at this point,” Cr Dr Ball said. “Open-air car parking is a very poor use of prime real estate in the inner city.” 

We’re very eager to see this project proceed towards our ambitions of more genuinely affordable quality housing in the inner city.

However, the community remains divided over whether both car parks should be used for affordable housing, with results from the council’s consultation returning mixed opinions. 

According to council data, 50 per cent of all respondents supported the affordable housing proposal, with more than 40 per cent of respondents from North and West Melbourne in favour.  

Primary concerns raised among respondents ranged from built form and implementation of the project to loss of car parking and community safety. 

Cr Reece said that the amended proposal to just proceed with affordable housing at Victoria St reflected both the community’s concerns and the council’s goal to help fix the housing shortfall within the city. 

Homes Melbourne director Jo Cannington said that a project reference group would be established to provide residents, traders and people with lived experience in affordable housing, with the opportunity to inform the next steps of the project.  

NWMPA president Sylvia Hungria said it would “respectfully request seats at the table” of the new group, “to ensure that the perspectives of traders and residents are adequately represented, and that the committee can benefit from our insights and local knowledge”.

Once the council has nominated its preferred housing provider, Cr Reece said a council decision, and subsequent planning approval, would be required before any proposals around a lease or development went ahead.

The council will also consider broader feedback received regarding current parking challenges in the area as part of its regular parking reviews. •