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In Melbourne’s inner west, battle lines are being drawn on the relics of a suburb’s hard-fought history.
On one side is a co-ordinated campaign by a group of community members, rolling out corflutes, running their own consultation, and demanding collaboration on the future of a once-in-a-generation development in Footscray.
On the other is the state government, sticklers for patience and process, frustrated by what the local MP says is flagrant “disinformation”.
And then, there’s everyone in between.
The Reimagining Old Footscray Hospital group, with a core membership of about 20 people (and hundreds of online supporters), is pushing hard to engage neighbours to shape the future of the site, which the group describes as “one of the last major infill capital city sites in Australia”.
At more than eight hectares, the site encompasses the old brick hospital, a former quarry (now a car park) and a heritage-listed Brutalist psychiatric building. The group wants at least 3.5 hectares to be transformed into parkland under a council-created plan.
As for another big chunk of it, members want diverse housing – some townhouses and mid-tier apartments, with at least 30 per cent dedicated to social or affordable homes – and significant community infrastructure in the surrounds.
The state government’s draft master plan for the site (for which consultation closes on Sunday) looks similar at a glance. But the community group says the devil is in the detail – or lack thereof.
“The community has been asked to comment on a superficial plan that lacks basic information people would reasonably expect for a project like this,” group member Fletcher Bubb said.
“This doesn’t reflect the rigour, transparency or governance standards that Victorians should reasonably expect for one of the last major publicly owned redevelopment opportunities in Melbourne’s inner west.”
The master plan doesn’t specify how many homes would be built there, or what type, and to what height. It lacks any detail about social infrastructure or projected population growth, and was ultimately “absolutely inadequate” for the community to rely on during consultation, Bubb said.
Representatives of the state government’s urban planning arm have told group members and the broader public they plan to prioritise building townhouses there, Bubb said.
“People of the west, many years ago, rallied together and donated their own money to start the hospital. That’s the ethical entitlement, and the history of this site,” he said.
“Now you’ve got the government wanting to sell it off and put it into their own balance sheet.”
Footscray’s Labor MP, Katie Hall, said she was frustrated by “disinformation circulating about the future of the site online”. She said “the suggestion that the site has been earmarked for ‘privatisation’ is misleading and untrue”.
Hall has her own historical connection to the site, as her great-grandmother Linda Vipont was among locals who raised money to buy the land with community funds in 1920.
The Age reported at the time that the Footscray Progress Association had to borrow £50 to secure 5½ acres. Almost three years later, the association bought the land for £2500.
Currently, there are no formal plans for the site, and no decisions have been made about its future uses, Hall said. She rejected the group’s claim that she had refused to engage with them.
“Given demolition of the existing buildings is expected to take approximately two years, there will be significant opportunity for the community to provide feedback as the master planning process progresses,” Hall said.
“I’ve met with the community group on a number of occasions and even facilitated a special briefing for them with Development Victoria – but no one view is more important than another. Everyone should take this opportunity to have their say.”
Maribyrnong City Council, which developed the group-backed plan, is in regular talks with Development Victoria about the future of the site. The council’s recommendations account for the area’s rapidly growing population, Mayor Mohamed Semra said.
“Council continues to advocate for the timely remediation of the old Footscray hospital site to transform it into a vibrant, multipurpose community hub – in line with our endorsed advocacy plan, which was informed by feedback from our community,” Semra said.
The state government is planning more community workshops about the site’s design, while other locals are undecided on – or unaware of – early plans to develop it.
Two businesses The Age spoke to said they were clueless about the community group or draft plans. That included Seha, who worked over the road at Western Rheumatology. Seha, who asked for her surname not to be published, said she would love to see a park there.
Neighbour Holly, who also asked for her surname not to be published, saw a letter-boxed leaflet about draft plan but she was unsure whether the plans were those of the council or Development Victoria. “From the picture it looked like a lot of housing,” she said.
Standing on the site of the old quarry, the Reimagining Old Footscray Hospital group remains passionate as ever. The group includes previous council members, candidates (Bubb, among them) and former MPs, but they stress they are strictly apolitical, and everyone is welcome.
Looking up at the old brick hospital, Colleen Hartland, a retired Greens MP, reflects on the origin of this debate – the new $1.5 billion Footscray Hospital, which is the reason why this building is sitting abandoned, is prime for transformation.
“I felt like they looked at the mistakes made in other hospitals, and they didn’t repeat them,” Hartland said.
What the group really wants, she said, is the same principles mirrored here.
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