Jobs and housing plan shaping Melbourne’s north

Published on 16 September 2024

Employment opportunities for La Trobe and Heidelberg

Banyule and Darebin councils have set ambitious goals to support thousands of new jobs, education opportunities, research and housing in Melbourne’s north. Key stakeholders from the Northern Innovation and Sustainability Precinct (NISP) – also known as the La Trobe National Employment and Innovation Cluster – have launched a Precinct Opportunity Statement to shape the region for decades to come. They highlighted the lack of transport connectivity in the region as the main barrier to realising the benefits of the NISP.

Northern suburbs leaders, collaborators and community members came together at the La Trobe Sports Pavilion in September to launch the Precinct Opportunity Statement and celebrate the remarkable growth and significant investment already shaping the NISP, including:

  • La Trobe University’s $5 Billion City of the Future with 12,000 new residents and 20,000 jobs
  • $1.3 billion redevelopment of Northland with 2300 new residential apartments
  • $300 million upgrade of Austin Hospital
  • $200 million expansion of the La Trobe Hospital by Healthscope
  • $180 million expansion of Warringal Private Hospital
  • $150 million La Trobe University Sports Park
  • Australian Food Innovation Centre at La Trobe
  • New BioNTech facility to deliver ground breaking mRNA research
  • Victorian Centre for AI in Medical Innovation.

The Precinct Opportunity Statement has five strategic goals to ensure that the NISP is supported by a well-connected transport network, knowledge economy jobs, diverse housing for all, infrastructure to support the growing healthcare workforce and protecting the area’s natural environment and open spaces.

The paper identified the lack of transport connectivity as the number one barrier to realising the benefits of the NISP, with Melbourne’s North identified as the most underrepresented of all Melbourne employment clusters for integrated transport links.

The Opportunities Statement highlights that Melbourne’s North is on the cusp of major change for the NISP with significant private and public investment planned or underway.

It demonstrates how the decisions we make today will shape the north for decades to come.

And with growth comes new challenges. The statement outlines strategic goals to ensure the precinct continues to evolve to support this rapid development.

The NISP is seeking $1M in government funding to develop a precinct structure plan to facilitate future development, innovation and investment, along with $4M in government funding for the catalytic projects identified in the NISP opportunities statement 2024. This framework is needed to ensure the precinct meets its full potential as an economic powerhouse driving education, health and research innovation” Councillor Melican said.

Read the Precinct Opportunity Statement

About the NISP

The Victorian Government identified the La Trobe National Employment and Innovation Cluster (NEIC) - now renamed as the Northern Innovation and Sustainability Precinct (NISP) - as a priority precinct in Plan Melbourne 2017-2050. The NISP is one of only a few nationally significant employment precincts in Melbourne, supporting almost 40,000 jobs and generating $9.5 billion in economic output each year.

The precinct is home to world leading private enterprise and government facilities including:

  • La Trobe University
  • Austin Hospital
  • Warringal Private Hospital
  • Heidelberg West Business Park
  • Northland Shopping Centre
  • Olivia Newton John Cancer Centre
  • Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital
  • Mercy Health for Women.

The precinct has experienced remarkable growth over the last five years, achieving 12% growth in jobs and contributing 10.2% of economic growth.

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