Victorian government unveils Kew housing plan with 630 homes

The Victorian state government has unveiled a masterplan to develop the former VicRoads headquarters in Kew into a residential complex featuring up to 630 homes. The proposal for the 2.5-hectare site at 60 Denmark Street includes nine buildings, with two towers reaching heights of 16 storeys and others ranging between 10 and 14 storeys.

The plan follows the decision to entirely demolish the former municipal building to maximize housing capacity, moving away from a previous proposal that suggested building 500 homes, including retrofitted units. The site now falls under the state government’s activity centre regime, which utilizes relaxed planning laws to encourage development.

The City of Boroondara council has criticized the masterplan, expressing a preference for more modest buildings between three and eight storeys. Council officers noted concerns regarding the lack of social housing, insufficient affordable housing beyond the 10 per cent minimum, the absence of a robust traffic plan, and a lack of clear rationale for the proposed building heights.