Major housing project complete
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East Preston/East Reservoir tenant group chairman Peter Soper and Darebin Mayor Tim Laurence join Housing and Aged Care Minister Bronwyn Pike as she plants a white cedar tree. |
The redevelopment, which began with the first master plan in 1991, was the largest Victorian project under the Building Better Cities program, funded by Federal and State Governments in partnership with councils.
Key figures behind Building Better Cities included former Deputy Prime Minister and local MP Brian Howe, who helped establish the program Australia-wide, along with the former State Housing Minister Andrew McCutcheon and the City of Preston, now the City of Darebin.
‘This 20-hectare redevelopment of 504 new public and private homes replaces 452 inappropriate and outdated public housing units,’ Minister Pike said.
‘The Building Better Cities program is an excellent example of the results which can be achieved through co-operation by all levels of government,’ Ms Pike said.
Ms Pike praised the teamwork between the Office of Housing and the East Preston/East Reservoir tenant group and their ongoing relationship in what has been a complex process involving tenant relocation and ongoing community consultations.
The Building Better Cities program was also the catalyst for public housing redevelopments in North Melbourne and Norlane.