Article: New suburb on track for transport

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From the Herald Sun click here!

New suburb on track for transport

New suburb on track for transport

    by: John Masanauskas
    From: Herald Sun
    November 04, 2011 12:00AM

A LIGHT rail loop and school could be built to serve the city's newest suburb, at Fishermans Bend. And marketing of the massive residential precinct may start as early as next year.

Transport authorities confirmed yesterday a light rail link was being considered for the 240ha industrial site expected to eventually house tens of thousands of people.

It is believed that one option is a tram loop around it.

Sources have told the Herald Sun a prep to year 12 school was also a possibility in the suburb's west section.

Planning Minister Matthew Guy said yesterday public transport and education services would be needed long-term but that it was too early for details.

'We can't build a new suburb without that infrastructure in place, so we've had some initial discussions," he said.

Peter Clarke, chairman of urban renewal authority Places Victoria, said transport plans would be decided with the relevant departments and councils.

"There's a whole bunch of routes that you could look at which include going from Docklands linking across the water over to that precinct," he said.

Mr Guy said preliminary planning was going well on converting the site from industrial to residential.

"We are very confident that we'll get progress there much sooner than anticipated," he told the Herald Sun. "It's an area that's right between Southbank and Docklands, so it's strategically very good."

Places Victoria, the former VicUrban, is overseeing the project under the State Government's urban regeneration plan.

The organisation is responsible for Docklands and is also driving projects such as the Richmond station and central Dandenong redevelopments.

A Places Victoria spokeswoman said it was investigating the purchase of the CSIRO and former gasworks sites in Highett for residential and commercial development.

The area, near the Southland shopping centre, could potentially house thousands of people.

Mr Clarke said the change from VicUrban had been necessary because the previous government had lost focus of what the authority was supposed to be.