Council considers future of important Alphington site

At a Special Council Meeting on Wednesday 25 January, Darebin City Council noted the intention of the Darebin Enterprise Centre Ltd - DECL (trading as Melbourne Innovation Centre) to no longer seek a new lease from Council for 2 Wingrove Street Alphington and to vacate the premises at the end of the current lease on 18 May 2023.

CEO Peter Smith said “Council noted the valuable contribution DECL has made through its 25-year partnership and the opportunities it has provided to numerous incubator businesses which has generated employment and economic development opportunities for the Darebin community.

He said “Council was proud to have supported DECL with free rent in exchange for supporting start-up businesses and enterprises in Darebin and looked forward to its partnership with DECL continuing beyond the lease, as its founding member.

“The Melbourne Innovation Centre, and the diverse range of start-up enterprises have played an important role in shaping the unique culture that has come to characterise the Darebin community,” Mr Smith said.

“We wish the Melbourne Innovation Centre and its licensees well in their next exciting chapter as they graduate from this incubator site, designed to provide start up support for a three-year period”.

Mr Smith said the decision by MIC not to renew its lease created an opportunity for Council to engage the community as part of a comprehensive review of the future of the site.

He said it was particularly important for Council to ensure it builds on its commitment to nurture and “incubate” local enterprises, particularly those with a focus on innovation.

“Council resolved to seek expressions of interest from interested parties to lease or licence parts of the site in the short term as we also undertake a process of community and stakeholder engagement about the long-term vision for the site. “The opportunity to express interest in all or part of the site for short to medium-term use, will be publicly advertised and considered against an objective set of principles that will be endorsed by Council,” Mr Smith said.

“We expect to receive expressions of interest from enterprises who are currently operating on what has become a much-loved community asset and indeed a weekend drawcard. We recognise it is important to provide some certainty for these successful businesses and of course to provide an important revenue stream for a community asset that is too valuable to lie dormant.

“Council will of course continue to maintain the site to ensure these valuable community uses are feasible and safe and are aligned to the permitted uses in the current zoning.

“Of course, there are a number of site integrity issues to work through however our priority will be to ensure the site is safe and fit for purpose for both short and medium term uses.

“Council does not see the site as an investment from a revenue point of view; rather it is a strategic asset whose use needs to reflect Council’s responsibilities to provide facilities and infrastructure for the Darebin community to create, innovate and grow sustainably.

“The longer-term vision for the site, therefore, needs to be built on a genuine process of community engagement that aligns the many exciting opportunities for the site with Council’s vision and the aspirations of the community.

“Community consultation will form an important part of the development of what will be a new Master Plan for the property.”