A suburb spruiked by its developers 10 years ago as the future “Glen Waverley of the west” has instead left thousands of new residents stranded with no schools, no shops and no public transport.
The outer western suburb of Mount Atkinson suffered a fresh setback last week when the owners of Westfield confirmed they had abandoned plans to build a major shopping centre there, seven years after buying into the precinct.
A giant Westfield billboard still stands at the entrance to the Mount Atkinson town centre, overlooking the estate’s busiest road: “Walk to the Future Westfield Town Centre”, it proclaims, a mother and son smiling joyously at passing traffic as they wheel a laden trolley through a supermarket.
But behind the billboard, a thistle-infested paddock sprawls across the area set aside for the town centre eight years ago.
Sites fenced off for future government and Catholic schools and for proposed sporting fields remain undeveloped, with prominent signage promoting their future function but no sign of activity over the fence.
The lack of progress has opened a public rift between two of Australia’s biggest property developers, who both took major stakes in Mount Atkinson when it was launched with fanfare several years ago.
Stockland, which is developing much of the housing there, last week removed all Westfield branding from its materials, telling the community it had failed to get any answers from Westfield’s owners, Scentre Group, about its timeline for commencing development of the shopping centre, or even if it still planned to do so.
“We acknowledge and share your frustration, and we will continue to keep you informed and maintain communication as more information becomes available from Scentre Group and the owner,” Stockland posted in an online update to residents.
In response, Scentre Group confirmed to The Age that it has pulled out of the project for commercial reasons.
“We had explored this potential opportunity with Mount Atkinson Holdings for a significant period of time and could not reach an agreement that we believe would deliver a commercially viable project for Scentre Group,” the company said.
Stockland’s statement to the community has been met with dismay, said Phillip Zada, a candidate in the new Mount Atkinson ward in next month’s Melton City Council election.
Zada said people felt deceived and wanted answers on what Westfield’s decision meant for the future town centre. “If you look at the actual master plan Stockland has put out, the sales pitch is: Westfield is coming, a train station is coming, that is why people are feeling hard done by,” he said.
“We are trying to figure out what this means for the area because everyone was under the impression Westfield was coming.”
Mount Atkinson is surrounded by undeveloped land on all sides. Residents must drive on the Western Highway to neighbouring suburbs such as Caroline Springs and Melton for the nearest supermarket. Hopkins Road is the main feeder road in and out of the estate. It has one lane in each direction and no footpaths.
“Good luck trying to go shopping after work. You’re talking about a 40-minute trip to pick up milk and eggs. We have been promised this great, vibrant suburb for years and not much is happening for us,” Zada said. “It is upsetting and residents have had enough.”
When the suburb was gazetted in 2016, the state government’s Victorian Planning Authority said it was expected to eventually house 19,000 residents and support 18,000 jobs in retail, commercial, industrial, office, education and home-based businesses.
Jobs would be located close to new communities in Melton and the precinct would be served by “a potential future train station … feeder bus routes, as well as major arterial roads and freeways”, the authority said at the time.
Today, only a shuttle bus service is operated by the property developer, offering six services a day to Rockbank train station.
Residents have pushed for a public bus service, including with the recent advocacy of minor party Legalise Cannabis.
The party’s MP for Western Metropolitan Melbourne, David Ettershank, noted in parliament last year that the nearest bus stop involves a walk of up to 50 minutes “with little or no footpaths, mainly along the rural grade Hopkins Road”.
“Unfortunately, that rural-grade road carries 27,000 cars and trucks a day, so it is a walk that ranges from the hair-raising to the suicidal,” Ettershank said.
The Melton line runs along the suburb’s northern boundary, but trains don’t stop there.
Last month the area’s local MP, Luba Grigorovitch, tabled a 4794-signature strong petition in state parliament calling for a station there. “We the petitioners from Mt Atkinson and Deanside with a growing population over 12,000 residents in the City of Melton, the fastest growing municipality in Australia; are in a dire need for any form of public transportation,” it states.
Grigorovitch said a new school bus route is on the way and options for other bus routes are being considered.
“But I know this growing community needs more – that’s why I’ll keep advocating for better transport connections and public services,” she said.
An Allan government spokesperson said the $650 million Melton line upgrade would boost capacity by 50 per cent. The project involves removing four level crossings and introducing nine-car trains.
A Catholic primary school and a government primary school are both scheduled to open in Mount Atkinson in 2026. There is no set date for a future secondary school.
Stockland said it acknowledged the importance of the future Mount Atkinson town centre to the community and remained committed to the vision for Mount Atkinson outlined in the suburb’s precinct structure plan.
“We will continue to collaborate closely with all relevant stakeholders to support the planning and delivery of the future Mount Atkinson town centre, and other community amenities including proposed schools and playing fields, which are still progressing,” a spokesperson said.
The Age
