Half of a nine-storey Footscray building already under construction could become social and affordable housing if VCAT gives it the green light.
According to a VCAT amendment application, Cross Street Footscray Pty Ltd wants its Crossley & Bourke development at 6 Cross Street to include 54 social and affordable housing apartments.
This figure is half of Cross Street Footscray’s latest requested number of 109 homes—down from 110 in its last approved permit.
A Metropole Planning Assessment Report submitted to VCAT last month with the application stated the social and affordable housing apartments would be delivered in partnership with BlueCHP—a Tier 1 registered not-for-profit community housing association, which owns more than 1000 social and affordable homes across cities on Australia’s eastern seaboard.
“BlueCHP intends to formalise an agreement with Cross Street Footscray Pty Ltd to purchase all of the units in Tower B (fronting Cross Street) within the development for the purpose of providing social and affordable housing,” the report stated.
“The internal configuration of the units in Tower B meets the Liveable Housing Design Guidelines Silver level accreditation.”
And, despite the construction of Crossley & Bourke being “well under way”, Cross Street Footscray has also requested an amendment to commercial uses at the development.
It no longer wants a place of assembly on the ground floor but instead has proposed five retail spaces and a small format specialty grocery shop.
Plus, the developer wants to build a 1138sq m gym and wellness centre and a 1038sq m office on the mezzanine level.
The Planning Assessment Report stated that the proposed amended mixed-use development would be a more efficient use of land within a precinct where significant change is strongly supported by state, regional and local planning policy.
“The design response is consistent with the outcomes sought for the site in the state and local planning policies of the Maribyrnong Planning Scheme, with the proposal responding sympathetically to the preferred future character of the area,” it said.
The July amendment was the third such application for Crossley & Bourke.
Following two VCAT orders in July 2017 and March 2018, Maribyrnong City Council issued the development’s original permit at the direction of VCAT on March 7, 2018.
The development has also undergone two annual extension approvals and another application is before Maribyrnong City Council for “for various minor amendments” to architectural drawings endorsed on May 23, 2024.