THE eastern end of Ararat will be completely overhauled under an extensive new plan from Ararat Rural City Council.
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The area, labelled the Ararat East Development Zone, covers the Aradale site, the operations of Melbourne Polytechnic Training Centre, the industrial and mixed-use site located on McLellan Street through to Grano Street, and areas of land adjacent to Green Hill Lake.
At it's February meeting, the council stated that developing the area would provide an opportunity for the council, in partnership with state government bodies, to 'establish access to opportunities in education, tourism, residential and industrial development, and importantly the iconic Aradale site in the East of Ararat.'
The council said that the benefits of developing the area were four-fold:
- Enhance access to the Aradale site directly off the Western Highway. This is with the aim of attracting medium term investment to further develop this iconic Ararat site;
- Open up an alternate and direct access to the mixed use zones in Grano Street and the McLellan Street industrial sites;
- Provide enhanced access to encourage development of residential land in proximity to Greenhill Lake;
- Encourage the development of post-secondary education opportunities, including the Melbourne Polytechnic.
Dr Harrison said the first stage of the Ararat East Development Zone project would be in two parts, with the council working with Regional Development Victoria to obtain funding.
“Firstly, we want to improve access to the (Aradale) site so the Western Highway at the Heath Street intersection will be widened to provide a slip lane for Ararat-bound traffic,” he said.
“We also want to improve safety at the train level crossing on Heath Street to cope with higher traffic volumes.
"These initial works would cost around $750,000 with funding being sought from Regional Development Victoria."
Of the total estimated cost, council would contribute $300,000 in the 2019-20 financial year.
The council will also consider seeking a partnership with VicTrack to help fund the project, and will not commit to any works without ensuring government funding.
Dr Harrison said the whole area is underused and opening up the zone would provide a clear impetus to attract further investment and reinvent the site.
“Within the area, Melbourne Polytechnic has established a 30-hectare vineyard, 250-tonne winery, four-hectare lavender farm and extensive training facilities," Dr Harrison said.
"The former Aradale property includes 63 buildings of which a number are protected by a heritage overlay.
“Other opportunities lie in establishing the McLellan Street linkage to Grano Street via Alfred street, currently zoned industrial, and residential development opportunities exist in the area near Green Hill Lake, where there is land zoned residential.
“There’s a real need for high-value residential development to support Ararat Rural City’s growth, and the Council would really like to see that land used in this way.”
Shire mayor, Councillor Peter Beales said the project was a fantastic opportunity for the council to take a leadership role in developing an interesting multi-use zone capable of attracting significant economic and social benefits to the community.
“We are really excited about the site’s potential and particularly happy to give Aradale some much-needed attention,” he said.
“We would love to see Aradale, it’s buildings and surrounding land developed and used again and we’re sure the community would love to see that happen too.”
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