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This is the engagement page for the Proposal to sell Council land - 58-60 Station Street, Bayswater.

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Latest

Council is proposing to sell land at 58-60 Station Street, Bayswater for the purpose of social housing.

The proposed sale is at a subsidised rate of approximately 62% below market value and will be through a direct treaty, where we would negotiate the sale with a single community housing organisation.

This site is close to public transport, community, retail and social services, making it an ideal location for social housing.

Housing changes lives

Council is considering this proposal as increasing access to social housing is a way to make our community somewhere people can thrive, not just survive.

Everyone deserves the safety and security of a place to call home. Yet any of us could suddenly find ourselves wondering where we will sleep. A sudden illness, a relationship breakdown, an unexpected job loss or any other unplanned event can trigger the start of housing uncertainty and homelessness.

A secure home is the foundation on which we build so many things: good health, an education for our kids and the chance to be a part of the local community. When everyone has a home that meets their needs, our neighbourhoods become better places to live for all of us.

Knox is already home to many social housing residents, and we value the contributions they make to our community. They are friends, carers, colleagues, grandparents, volunteers and relatives. They may be a part of our schools, work in our local businesses or belong to our sporting clubs and community groups.

Our vision for social housing is of high quality, well-designed homes that promote liveability, are integrated with and contribute to local neighbourhood amenity, are of an appropriate size for the number of occupants, and are built to the highest possible environmental standards.

Have your say

What would you like Council to know when they decide whether or not to sell 58-60 Station Street Bayswater as a direct treaty sale for the purpose of social housing at a subsidised rate of approximately 62% below market value?

Note: The community consultation results will be considered by Council in conjunction with housing demand data, expert advice and strategic commitments along with the details of the proposals received by the housing associations including the commercial offer (sale price), design outcome and management capability. Council will determine if the site is sold for the purpose of social housing to the identified provider.

The Bayswater Youth Hall was constructed in the 1960’s and included a public hall with an office / meeting room extension and before its closure had been used as a hall for hire. The building’s structural condition deteriorated significantly, forcing its closure in September 2017, and the relocation of hall users into alternative accommodation.

Works to repair the building would have been at significant cost to ratepayers. Given these concerns the building was demolished in 2020 before considering the future of the site.

Our Social and Affordable Housing Strategy (2023-2027) includes an action to identify surplus land in locations with good access to public transport, community, retail and social services as potential sites for social housing. This site meets these criteria.

Confidential negotiations have been completed to identify a suitable organisation, including an Expression of Interest and Request for Proposal.

Social housing is housing that is rented to low income households, with rent capped at a percentage of their income. Social housing does not include rooming houses or emergency accommodation. It is sometimes owned by State Government, but can also be owned by private business or non-profit organisations.

Modern social homes are designed to look the same as any other dwellings.

Creating more homes for people who need to pay lower rent will make our neighbourhood a better place for all of us, no matter how much we earn. It will keep families together and enable people who have put down roots here to stay in the area and contribute to the community.

Any future development on this site, whether it is social housing or other, would need to meet the planning scheme requirements. While current controls allow building heights of up to 5 storeys in the centre, development on this site would need to consider amenity impacts, including of increased height, to surrounding properties. The standard planning applications and approvals process would need to be undertaken, led by the developer / landowner.

A tree assessment was undertaken at 58 Station Street, Bayswater. It was determined that two trees T15 and T16 are of high retention value, due to their height, age and health but they are not described as significant.

Under the Request for Proposal “a plan of the vegetation is to be incorporated into the design of the site, which should include a plan or solutions for the retention of the two mature trees on the site.

A direct treaty is a land sale where the price and conditions are agreed on by the purchaser and seller privately without going through a typical public sale or auction process.

This is a legal and recognised process in line with Council’s Sale of Land & Buildings policy. Council has chosen to follow this process for this particular proposal as the conditions of the potential sale include more than just the price, but the ability of the purchaser to deliver social housing for the Knox community.

Community housing organisations do not have financial resources to purchase significant land. If they had to pay the market price for this land the project would not be viable.

The final subsidy for this sale will be calculated at the time of sale based on the up-to-date market value.

This process has been undertaken in line with the Knox Social and Affordable Housing Strategy (2023 – 2027) action 3.6 Undertake a transparent and competitive expression of interest process with Community Housing Providers when appropriate Council owned sites are identified for social housing development.

The housing associations are essentially competing against each other to be successful in their proposal, so the details remain confidential to protect their business.

Additionally, if Council decides not to proceed with this proposal, sharing details of the possible sale price could impact any future sale negotiations.

Timeline

  • Timeline item 1 - complete

    Community engagement period

    Wednesday 12 June - Wednesday 10 July

  • Timeline item 2 - complete

    Report to be considered by Council

    August 2024
    This will be a confidential item and the public will not be able to listen to the meeting either in the public gallery or online.

Engagement Level

For this project we will be engaging our community at the level of Consult on the International Association of Public Participation (IAP2) Spectrum.
This means we will keep you informed, listen to and acknowledge concerns and aspirations, and provide feedback on how public input influenced the decision.

Contact us

Find out more about this engagement.

Name Community Wellbeing Team
Phone 03 9298 8000
Email wellbeing@knox.vic.gov.au