If you build it, we will swim: Footscray residents would dig a new lake

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Developers may have their eyes on the site of a former public hospital in Melbourne’s inner west, but some locals have their own plan – and it involves a swimmable lake.

With the completion of the new Footscray Hospital on the horizon, they want the council to back their vision for a green, mixed-use precinct at the old Gordon Street site, fearing the state government may be tempted to sell the 8.5-hectare plot to property developers.

Angela Ashley-Cheiw, Pierre Vairo and Kate Breen want to see this car park become a lake.Credit: Justin McManus

“Our fear is the government will sell off the site to the highest bidder and then it will become a bunch of high-density towers,” said West Footscray resident Pierre Vairo, who presented his group’s architectural plans to Maribyrnong Council. “This is a once-in-generation opportunity.”

The group of four residents created the detailed designs on the back of three community events over summer, where 150 locals voted on what they wanted to see at the site once it was decommissioned in 2025.

A key feature in the design includes the swimmable, man-made lake to be built on the site of the hospital’s car park, which was once a quarry, and later filled in as a tip.

“It would be expensive, but it’s not impossible, and it would be the biggest one of these lakes ever done in Australia,” Vairo said.

Newport Lakes Park is on a former industrial site.Credit: Penny Stephens

He said the idea was inspired by Lake Gkula near Brisbane that was built in 2019 and cost $2.5 million. The Footscray group doesn’t have any cost estimates for the construction of their proposed lake, but insists similar projects have been done with former quarries.

“A lot of Melbourne’s former quarries have been converted into usable public facilities including Yellow Gum reserve in Mill Park and Newport Lakes, which is in the west,” he said.

The Gordon Street hospital site land is owned by the state government, with a small portion of land owned by Maribyrnong City Council.

The land is estimated to be worth up to $85 million. No plans have been made about what will happen to the site.

A state government spokesman said that “preliminary investigations and technical assessments” were under way at the old hospital site, which would dictate what it could be used for in the future.

“No decisions have been made, and we will give the local community the chance to have their say on what they want for the site,” the spokesman said.

The state government did not comment on whether they supported the idea of a man-made lake.

Under the community vision, the land would include playgrounds, beer gardens, community sporting facilities like basketball courts and affordable housing.

An archival image of the Western General Hospital in Footscray in 1961.Credit: The Age

The plans would also retain the heritage-listed brutalist psychiatric building to be used as community space, as well as the existing childcare centre on Rayner Street, and the Orygen Youth Mental Health facility on Mavis Street.

The hospital was originally purchased in 1920 with collected community funds from Footscray residents. The Age reported at the time that the Footscray Progress Association had to borrow 50 pounds to secure the 5½ acres and almost three years later bought the land for 2500 pounds.

“The community back in the day came together to build the original Footscray hospital, and it would be a beautiful homage to them if we as a community determine what happens to the land,” Vairo said.

Maribyrnong council did not indicate whether it supported the community group’s plans and said the government was responsible for any rezoning.

The heritage-listed brutalist building at the old Footscray Hospital site.Credit: Chris Hopkins

“We look forward to working with the state government to develop a plan for the site, that supports our community’s vision and aspirations for the site, once the hospital operations relocate,” Mayor Sarah Carter said.

Vairo said his group wasn’t expecting the council or government to implement all the residents’ ideas for the site, but it was important to have a voice early in the discussion.

“There’s a lot of community interest in what will happen to the old site, and we wanted the community to start the conversation and Maribyrnong council and the Victorian government to follow our lead,” Vairo said. “We don’t want to be brought into it late.”

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