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Melbourne\u2019s Victoria Barracks would be opened up for parks, schools and housing under a master plan proposed ahead of the sale of the historic military site.<\/p>\n
As debate continues over the Commonwealth\u2019s plan to divest the 5.7-hectare heritage listed site<\/a> on St Kilda Road, Lord Mayor Nick Reece said the sale represented a \u201conce in a generation\u201d opportunity for Melbourne.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we get this wrong we will never live it down,\u201d Reece said at the City of Melbourne\u2019s council meeting this week. \u201cThis is an opportunity for the Commonwealth, Victoria and the city to get the development, the reimagining of these sites right so they continue to serve our city not just for the next decade but for the next century beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n The ivy-covered bluestone buildings date back to the 1850s, as the barracks were originally built to house British troops fighting to suppress the Eureka Rebellion<\/a> in Ballarat.<\/p>\n Selling the Victoria Barracks properties in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane could net the federal government $1.3 billion, but the City of Melbourne is keen to strike a balance between commercial development and community benefit.<\/p>\n The council has proposed a draft master plan which prioritises preserving the heritage of the barracks, public open space, a school for prep to year 12 students, housing, and community arts and cultural centres.<\/p>\n \u201cSouthbank is one of the fastest growing residential neighbourhoods in all of Australia and one of the most densely populated in the whole of Australia,\u201d Reece said. \u201cWe really need neighbourhood park facilities in Southbank, we\u2019re talking here about children\u2019s playgrounds and barbecue tables.\u201d<\/p>\n Southbank has a population of over 22,000 residents and is set to grow<\/a> to 44,500 by 2043.<\/p>\n Related Article There is only one primary school in the area, South Melbourne Primary, and no secondary school.<\/p>\n Reece said the growing community made the barracks the \u201cperfect location\u201d for a prep to year 12 school, and it could also house arts and cultural facilities with a community focus given the proximity of theatres and the National Gallery of Victoria.<\/p>\n However, the state government is not so enthusiastic about his vision. A spokesman for the Department of Education said the area\u2019s education needs were met by South Melbourne Primary, which is opening a new campus in 2029, and Port Melbourne Secondary College, which opened in 2022.<\/p>\n \u201cAt this point in time there are no plans to construct an additional new school in Southbank,\u201d the spokesman said.<\/p>\n Reece called for planning restrictions to be put in place before the Victoria Barracks site is sold.<\/p>\n \u201cThe current Commonwealth disposal process puts sale before planning and that, in terms of the community, is putting the cart before the horse,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have to ensure we get the planning right on these sites as well as a clear acknowledgment of what the planning regulations, overlays and controls are that will apply on these sites.\u201d<\/p>\n The council wants to be given an active role in the decision-making around the Victoria Barracks site.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Councillor Olivia Ball said any housing built on the site needed to be affordable.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not convinced we have a shortage of expensive housing, I think we have a lot of vacant homes that people can\u2019t afford,\u201d she said. \u201cWhat we have a shortage of is housing that can be afforded by people on modest incomes.\u201d<\/p>\n David Hamilton, from residents group Southbank 3006, said he did not want more high-rise apartments on the site and instead the community wanted open space and community facilities like schools, kindergartens and neighbourhood centres.<\/p>\n \u201cResidents see this as the last opportunity in what is the Wild West of development in the City of Melbourne \u2013 in other words, Southbank is effectively an area that was not planned,\u201d he said. \u201cDevelopers acquired blocks of land within a planning framework then frequently got ministerial approvals to simply get taller buildings<\/a> that had no architectural merit except that they were taller.\u201d<\/p>\n Hamilton said the historic significance of the barracks had to be recognised, particularly the War Cabinet Room<\/a> (built in 1917), from where three prime ministers directed the nation through World War II.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Whatever the shape of the proposed sale, the room will be protected by heritage legislation. But Hamilton would like it to be more accessible to the public.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is not possible to go and look at the War Cabinet Room in Melbourne unless the minister for defence approves you visiting the site, you can\u2019t,\u201d he said. \u201cBut you can go and visit the War Cabinet Room in London.\u201d<\/p>\n Hamilton said Southbank 3006 supported affordable housing for families on the site in line with the height limits and development in the Southbank village area.<\/p>\n \u201cIt would be sad to see facadism and a row of towers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n RSL Victoria president Dr Mark Schr\u00f6ffel said a cost-benefit analysis should be published for the site before planning could begin. The analysis should include realistic sale proceeds, relocation costs, remediation obligations and replacement capability costs.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u201cFrom RSL Victoria\u2019s perspective, it is premature to be presenting what the site could look like, until all of this occurs,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/983af0ea27ef524cc25892a9d2dc0f8ea1882d7a.jpeg\")
The ivy-covered bluestone exterior of the Victoria Barracks on St Kilda Road, which will redeveloped. Penny Stephens<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1c06fefbefded9c96bb26d42e7ce3580ed1befe5.jpeg\")
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David Hamilton from residents group Southbank 3006.Paul Jeffers<\/p>\n
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