Brimbank council has taken the first steps to transform Sunshine into a health and employment mecca.
The council last week agreed to rezone pockets of Sunshine from residential zone one to general residential while it works with the Metropolitan Planning Authority (MPA) to finalise plans for the region as part of Plan Melbourne.
The Plan Melbourne strategy earmarks Sunshine as one of nine areas in the state to become hives of tertiary education, health-related training, healthcare, retail and professional service. The strategy will be run in partnership with Western Health, Victoria University and the University of Melbourne.
In the past six months, Brimbank council has worked with the MPA to accelerate plans for an employment cluster, extending from Sunshine to
St Albans and including a health, wellbeing and education precinct centred around Sunshine Hospital.
Brimbank administrator chair John Watson said Plan Melbourne tied in perfectly with the council’s Sunshine Rising program, which aims to revitalise the Sunshine town centre.
“This is a very exciting opportunity to put Sunshine on the map as a recognised centre of excellence for health, wellbeing and education,” Mr Watson said.
Western Health chief executive Alex Cockram said the creation of a health and wellbeing precinct in the area would lead to the overall expansion of health services available in the west.
“
The planned development will …
put the western suburbs precinct firmly on the map as being an area which attracts and retains the best students, researchers and health professionals,” he said.
Charlene Macaulay and Ben Cameron
