Vincent Care Plots Five-Block Social Housing Precinct

Plans to dramatically increase the number of social housing apartments on a site in regional Victoria have been revealed.

Vincent Care Community Housing has filed the plans for the five-block social housing project on its site at Kennington, a suburb of Bendigo.

The project put forward for the 18,211sq m site at 250 St Aidans Road is part of Victoria’s Big Housing Build.

The site currently has six buildings with 30 independent-living units, which would increase to 84 under the plans. 

Affordable Housing Solutions is the applicant listed on the documents submitted to the Victorian Department of Transport and Planning.

The plans by E Plus Architecture propose the 84 affordable homes for residents aged 55 years and over on the site, about 3km south-east of Bendigo’s CBD. 

There would be 64 one-bedroom homes and 20 two-bedroom homes in a mix of apartments and townhouses across four of the buildings.

Building A would be three storeys high with 42 one-bedroom apartments, Building B would be two storeys high with 10 one-bedroom apartments and six two-bedroom apartments and Building C would be two storeys high with four one-bedroom apartments and 12 two-bedroom apartments. 

There would be 10 two-bedroom townhouses in Building D.

A fifth building, Building E, would host a community hub with an entry, a conference room, two office spaces, two interview rooms for prospective residents, workstations, a kitchen and an outdoor area with a pergola.

There are also 84 carparking spaces plannd as well as and 89 bicycle storage spaces.

▲ The site currently has 30 independent living units—residents would be moved into one of the new buildings during the first stage of construction.

The project would be carried out in four stages with the construction of Building A and the relocation of the current residents into new apartments as the first stage. 

Demolition of buildings on the site would occur in the second stage with the construction of buildings B and C.

The third stage would include the construction of Building D and demolition of existing buildings and the community hub will be built in the fourth stage.

Strath Activity Centre with a shopping centre, a supermarket and food and beverage outlets is 1.8km south of the site. Bendigo Town Centre is 3km to the north-east.

The Big Housing Build is the Victorian government’s program to create more affordable and social housing near amenities and transport across the state.

Vincent Care plans to make all 84 homes affordable and will partner with Homes Victoria on the project.