Major Leith Park work on track

OCAV’s Chief Operating Officer Tim Scott is a familiar figure around the rubble of the building site at Leith Park. He is overseeing a multi-million dollar development at OCAV’s St Helena village, which will see 46 new one-bedroom and two-bedroom units built over the next 18 months. The development will replace 24 one-bedroom units and is being constructed in two stages.

Stage one will see 27 one and two bedroom units constructed on the site where 14 units were previously. These fourteen have been demolished and replaced with three separate buildings now in various stages of construction. The three buildings are all three stories and include undercroft car parking. Construction of this exciting project began in July last year and is expected to finish late this year.

“It’s going to be a great place to live when it is finished because the floors will be connected by elevators and there will be a central area and landscaping to connect the three buildings and to ensure it fits in with the rest of the village,” Tim said.

“Apart from how it will look we are creating a place that is dementia friendly and has a six star energy rating.”

Residents who were moved out of the now demolished units have been relocated into renovated units within the village. Tim said OCAV ensured that all residents who had to leave the grey site were moved to an updated unit. The new units, once complete, will be occupied by ‘newcomers’ to the village.

Stage 2 will involve demolition of the remaining 10 units on the site and construction of a three-storey L shape building made up of 16 one-bedroom and three two-bedroom units. Construction will start later in the year and be completed next year, coinciding with OCAV’s 150thanniversary celebrations.

“Stage 2 will add another 19 new units to the village, which is a great gain for ageing Victorians looking for housing and that’s the goal behind all our redevelopments. We must provide housing for older Victorians in need,” Tim said.

Tim said development was going to plan and OCAV was working at every stage to ensure minimal disruption to residents, but he acknowledged some people were affected by the work. Residents at Leith Park have been kept up to date with the developments through meetings, bulletin boards and memos. A model of the new buildings has also been made and is in the hall for residents to inspect.

“We want to keep people informed along the way because this isn’t just a building site with great potential. It is the home of our residents and we are very mindful of that,” Tim said.

As well as creating a wonderful living space, care has been taken to ensure trees could be protected where possible. A consultant arborist is part of the project and works closely with the builders.

One unit will be finished by August so that Tim and the team can inspect every detail to make sure it meets the needs of older Victorians.

“This is an exciting project which will assist with meeting the demand of our growing waiting list,” Tim said.