A fire sale of three former Brimbank school sites has netted the state government $45.3 million.
The Department of Treasury and Finance revealed on Friday the properties in Kelba, Deer Park and Keilor Park – the first of five the education department has deemed “surplus” to its needs in Brimbank – had been sold.
The Baillieu-Napthine government began preparing to sell the sites before it was ousted in the 2014 state election.
The old Calder Rise Primary School site in Keilor and undeveloped land in Taylors Lakes that had once been earmarked for a P-12 school are also flagged for sale.
The former Kealba Secondary College site in Driscolls Road changed hands for $24.16 million, the former Deer Park Primary School site in Ballarat Road for $11.5 million and the former Keilor Park Primary School site in Eliza Street for $9.65 million.
The properties were sold through tender campaigns. Two were bought by developers.
The Deer Park property was sold to a local property developer tipped to pursue a townhouse development.
Managing agent Julian Heatherich, of Savills Melbourne, said the price paid for the site, at 814 Ballarat Road, exceeded expectations.
“That’s just evidence of the demand for these types of in-fill sites,” he said.
The former Kealba Secondary College sold to a China-based developer that has operations in Australia. Melbourne Acquisitions director Steven Messina said the buyer planned to build a residential development on the site.
Sources have told Star Weekly Development Victoria (DV), the state government’s property development agency, purchased the old Keilor Park Primary School site.
When asked to confirm the purchase, DV chief executive Gregory Alexander said: “DV would engage with the local community on any proposed development if it did purchase the site.”
Brimbank council was invited to purchase all five sites before they were listed for public sale, first in 2014 and then in 2015, but council administrators said they had no interest in acquiring the former schools.
Related
May 15, 2017: State Government goes ahead with sale of five Brimbank school sites
February 28, 2017: Keep school sites public: council
May 30, 2016: Council, government at odds over school sites
Last week, a war of words erupted over the Calder Rise site in Green Gully Road following a meeting Niddrie MP Ben Carroll organised with the Victorian School Building Authority and Brimbank’s mayor and chief executive to discuss the Keilor site.
Mr Carroll said the council was invited to buy the property a third time at the meeting at a reduced rate.
But mayor John Hedditch said: “No purchase of these sites is being considered by council. It [the council] suggests the Victorian government keep the sites in public hands for the longer term.”
“It is disappointing to see the mayor has rejected our third and final offer without consulting with other councillors,” Mr Carroll said.
In January 2014, hundreds of vacant school sites were sitting idle across the state. At the time there were fears they would be sold off to build more private schools.
