Development Victoria is transforming the former Kangan TAFE site at 31 The Avenue, Coburg Coburg into a vibrant community close to jobs, transport, hospitals and schools.

Designed by Hayball Architects, we will deliver a four-buildingmedium-density apartment complex with up to 275 dwellings, with 10 per cent dedicated to affordable housing . One of the buildings will be dedicated to build-to-rent, supporting a variety of households and budgets.

The development will also include:

• up to 300 bike spaces and approximately 25 visitor bike spaces
• indoor and outdoor communal spaces
• a new park on The Avenue

An approx. 80sqm retail space at the corner of The Avenue and De Carle Street.

Delta Pty Ltd has been announced as the preferred builder to begin early works onsite from mid August 2025 until early 2026. These works will include demolition of existing buildings and site remediation that will help prepare the land for the main works.

As part of these works, a qualified and licensed hygienist will inspect the site to ensure that any potentially hazardous materials are identified and safely removed in accordance with strict health and safety protocols, preventing any airborne release.

In addition, the demolition contractor has an environmental management plan in place, which includes dust suppression measures to further minimise any potential impact.

The eastern end of The Avenue will be converted into a public open space and incorporate the current vacant strip of land on the corner of The Avenue and De Carle Street. A consultation campaign ran from 28 July to 25 August with Merri-bek City Council. A draft concept plan will be made available to the community in the second phase of engagement from 6 October.

As part of the design, there will also be a communal open space available to residents of The Avenue.

There will be affordable housing in The Avenue, Coburg.

The Avenue, Coburg will deliver much needed homes, including a minimum outcome of 10 per cent affordable, supporting the objectives of the Victorian Government’s Housing Statement by providing more affordable homes close to existing jobs, transport and services.

It will also offer a mix of build to rent homes and homes for purchase, all of varying sizes to accommodate the diverse housing needs of the Coburg community.

There will not be social housing at The Avenue.

Build-to-rent (BTR) housing is purpose-built rental housing that is held in single ownership and professionally managed. The BTR model creates homes for the rental market instead of selling to individual buyers and provides Victorian renters with high-quality and well-maintained homes with secure leases.

Development Victoria is currently exploring options on future management of rental properties. This may involve managing the properties directly or working with a Registered Housing Agency.

Affordable housing is not social housing.

The definition of affordable housing is included in The Planning and Environment Act 1987 and specifies the income ranges for very low, low and moderate-income households for affordable housing that is not social housing. The income ranges specified in the Order can be found on the Department of Transport and Planning website.

Social housing is short and long-term rental housing that is owned and run by the government or not-for-profit agencies. Social housing is made up of two types of housing, public housing and community housing. It is for people on low incomes who need housing, especially those who have recently experienced homelessness, family violence or have other special needs.

The site was originally zoned as a Public Use Zone. Development Victoria received planning approval from the Department of Transport and Planning approved to rezone the site as a Mixed Use site in December 2024.

A precinct-wide heritage overlay applies to the site, which means planning approval is required for any demolition or construction work. The combined planning scheme amendment and planning permit includes approval for demolition and construction.

The approval of the planning proposal meant that there will be a variation to the car parking requirements of the Merri-bek City Council Planning Scheme. This will mean that there will be reduced parking based on the site’s excellent access to public transport, excess bicycle parking provisions and access to walking and cycling routes. While final car park numbers have not been resolved, it is proposed that not all apartments will have a dedicated parking space.

It is proposed that there will be approximately 300 bicycle parking spaces on site, which is above the requirements of the Merri-Bek Planning Scheme and aligned with the proposal to reduce car reliance for residents.

Vehicle access to the basement car park will be via a laneway on the western side of the complex, which will provide two-way entry and exit to the complex. The lane will also include a loading bay for resident’s use when moving in and out of the buildings and provision will be made in the basement carpark for smaller vehicle loading and rubbish collection.

Traffic analysis has indicated residents will generate approximately 500 extra car movements a day, which will have minimal impact on the surrounding road network. The proposal’s reduced car parking and excess bicycle parking provisions will help reduce traffic movements on the surrounding road network.

The parking spaces removed to create the new public open space on The Avenue will not be replaced.

Approximately 23 car spaces will be removed to make way for the new park. These car parks were added to service the students and staff of the former Kangan TAFE.

Ten unlimited parking bays, five 15-minute drop off parking bays and four two-hour parking bays will remain on The Avenue.

The proposed development includes buildings with a minimum 5-Star Green Star certification.

It is proposed that there will be approximately 300 bicycle parking spaces on site, which is above the requirements of the Merri-bek City Council Planning Scheme and aligned with the planning proposal to reduce car reliance for residents. There will also be approximately 25 visitor bike spaces.

Landscaping on site will promote urban biodiversity and reduce the heat island effect in urban areas as well as water tanks and rain gardens to facilitate the use of stormwater across the site.

There will be provisions for Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations.

Green Star is an internationally recognised rating system setting the standard for healthy, resilient, positive buildings and places. The ratings tool is built upon eight sustainability categories that can be incorporated into a building design to future proof a building for the future.

You can find out more about the Green Star program by visiting the Green Building Council Australia website.

An Environmental Management Plan (EMP) is a site management document that outlines how a contractor will:

• protect the environment and prevent pollution
• comply with Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) and environmental legal requirements, including Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines on dust control and air quality
• provide a safe work environment for all Delta Pty Ltd employees, contractors, consultants, their staff, visitors and the public.

As part of the Planning Scheme Amendment in 2024 https://engage.vic.gov.au/draft-merri-bek-planning-scheme-coburg, Hayball Architects conducted shadow studies to show how the proposed buildings will cast shadows at different times of the years.

These studies recreated the expected shadows cast by the development building at 9am, 10am, 11am and 12 noon during Winter Solstice (June), Equinox (September) and Summer Solstice (December).

The impacts are understandably greater during the Winter Solstice along De Carle Steet and The Avenue.

Starting with eight storeys on the western side of the site and gradually reducing to five storeys along De Carle Street, and between five and six storeys along The Avenue, the proposed tiered architectural design responds to the local neighbourhood.

Early works are commencing mid-August 2025 and will continue throughout the year. Main works will begin in 2026 and be complete by 2027.

Significant existing street trees on De Carle Street and The Grove will be retained and new public open space will be created on The Avenue through the closure of the road and use of an  adjacent vacant land.  A small number of trees will be removed to enable the future development. However, landscaping with a greater number of new trees will be delivered, in central communal spaces and connecting walkways. Residents will also enjoy a rooftop terrace.

The site will require some remediation to make it suitable for residential use. While the site has historically been used for residential and education purposes, surrounding land uses may have impacted the site.

The buildings on site have been constructed using asbestos material which was typical of the time.

As part of early works, a qualified and licensed hygienist has tested the soil on site and identified the presence of asbestos. Our contractor, Delta Pty Ltd, is taking all necessary steps to minimise the impact of asbestos removal on the surrounding environment and prevent any exposure to asbestos fibres.

Development Victoria adheres to Victorian Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, implementing safety controls such as defining work areas, dust suppression and protective clothing for workers.

All asbestos removal is conducted by certified and highly trained professionals to guarantee safe handling and disposal. Our workers receive comprehensive training in asbestos handling and safety protocols to ensure their protection and the protection of others.

In addition, the demolition contractor has an environmental management plan in place, which includes dust suppression measures to further minimise any potential impact.

The asbestos on site is Type B non-friable, meaning it is bound with materials like cement and poses low risk, as fibres are unlikely to become airborne

While air monitoring is not required as an Occupational Health and Safety process for Type B asbestos removal, Development Victoria and Delta have introduced this as an extra measure. No elevated levels have been detected onsite.

We adhere to Victorian Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, implementing safety controls such as defining work areas, protective clothing for workers and air monitoring.

Once removed, the asbestos is double-wrapped in heavy-duty plastic to avoid breakage, taped, labelled and placed on an EPA-permitted vehicle.

Soil and materials are tracked from extraction to safe disposal, and independent inspections are conducted during removal and post-removal.

Following removal, further testing and site validation is undertaken to verify the completed remediation works.

Several of these measures, such as air monitoring, independent inspections and post-completion validation, are above and beyond what is required under regulations for asbestos removal and have been self-initiated by Development Victoria and Delta Pty Ltd.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets the guidelines for what constitutes unreasonable noise from a construction site including the times of day noise is allowed.

We have monitors in place and they will be used to ensure noise does not become unreasonable (either too loud or for too long a time period) in real time.

We will work with the contractor if the levels are detected to be unreasonable.

Monitoring updates can be shared if required.

Pre-demolition testing found lead levels in the soil to be insignificant and at a level already suitable for building high-density housing onsite.

Small amounts of lead paint were detected in the building but posed no health risk, as no drilling or sanding activities occurred during removal to create airborne particles.

Yes. We recognise the importance of communicating with parents of children at Kids on the Avenue.

During the demolition phase, Development Victoria will provide progress updates directly to parents and also continue to work with the manager and staff of the centre. We are also happy to meet parents in person with technical advisors to discuss monitoring if requested.

We currently use temporary fencing and mesh hoarding for dust suppression and work exclusion zones. No additional barriers or sealed work zones are planned.

Both local laws and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines advise what hours construction work can be undertaken, which restrict weekend works. For this project this includes weekend works restricted to Saturday 9am to 1pm.

We will monitor dust impacts at the centre and carry out cleaning as required.

Silica dust is created when materials such as concrete are cut or broken creating dust particles.

As we start demolishing Buildings A and B there will be silica dust produced. There are strict requirements on how silica dust is managed to ensure the safety of workers and the community.

The controls in place include:

• Scaffolding with shade cloth around the perimeter of the site to reduce dust spread
• Water misters used for dust suppression
• Direct water spray used on high dust activities including hoses mounted to a long reach excavator for higher demolition works
• Silica air monitoring at the source of works and site boundaries to ensure compliance with health and safety standards
• Demolished material progressively removed to avoid dust producing stockpiles.

A large excavator with multiple attachments, such as a pulveriser, grabber and hammer, is operated at ground level.

The building is demolished from the top-down, starting at one end and working towards the other so the building does not collapse.

Concrete is a harder material to demolish than brick and you may experience more noise at times.