Merrifield another step closer

MAB Corporation and joint venture partner GPC have moved one step closer to creating the Merrifield mixeduse sustainable community for Melbourne’s North.

MAB Corporation recently made a submission to the Victorian Government’s Growth Area Framework Plan process. The submission highlights Merrifield’s ability to deliver jobs, homes, major civic and retail services for the Hume Growth Corridor.

Infrastructure works are nearing completion to enable commencement of the Merrifield Employment Precinct in 2011.

This process follows the release of the new Urban Growth Boundary in July 2010 and is an important step before urban development can commence in the Merrifield residential precinct. Growth Area Framework Plans will designate land for such uses as employment, residential and shopping centres.

Key themes included within the submission include the opportunity for Merrifield to provide:

• A new Principal Activity Centre, the Merrifield City Centre will complement the hierarchy of Activity Centres both existing and proposed within the Northern Growth Corridor;
• More than 10,000 dwellings accommodating over 30,000 residents across a mix of dwelling types, including apartments and higher density accommodation close to the planned Merrifield City Centre and lower density housing west of the Outer Metropolitan Ring;
• Jobs close to where people live with a new community in close proximity to in excess of 30,000 jobs in the City Centre and the Employment Precinct;
• Connectivity to Melbourne’s northern region through the arterial road network, including the Aitken Boulevard/E14 transport corridor spine. This will provide for high capacity public transport services to be extended to Merrifield along the Principal Public Transport Network and to other regional links.

It is expected that the Victorian Government will release a draft of the Growth Area Framework plans early in 2011 in response to this submission process.