The Wesley Precinct.
A place of worship, service and city life.

Planning Application
The Developers anticipate lodging an application for a planning permit early in June. While the planning process is expected to take up to three months, Hansons expect building works to commence late this year.

Geotech testing
As preparation for the building work, the Developers undertook geotech testing over four days in May, and the results of this process – involving drilling down at several locations on the site – will help determine more precisely the geology underground, and may also indicate archeological features.

Landscaping
There have been a number of conversations regarding the landscaping design and proposals for the site are keenly awaited by the Steering Committee but have not been received to date. Once these have been reviewed by the Steering Committee, it is proposed to obtain feedback from a small group of the congregation before designs are finalised for presentation to the whole congregation. Input from Narana (the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress) has been taken on board, as have a number of ideas and suggestions from the Vision Committee.

Environmental Measures
The Developers have confirmed that they have made an application for the new building to be assessed under the green star rating system. Environmental measures will be an important part of the development and the exact scope of these is currently being evaluated. Water harvesting is included at present as part of the base building. Other measures being considered include a chilled beam and single displacement ventilation, solar hot water, and solar hydronic heating.

As part of preliminary work by the developers of the Wesley Precinct, Hamptons, geotechnical investigation on the site will take place on four working days from Friday 2 May.

Because of this work the car park will be closed on the following four days:

• Friday, 2 May from 7am - 4.30pm
• Monday, 5 May from 7am - 4.30pm
• Tuesday, 6 May from 7am - 4.30pm
• Wednesday 7 May from 7am - 4.30pm.

The Wesley car park will be open on Friday evening and on the weekend, and parking is available at several nearby car parks while it is closed on the four week days.

Planning Permit

The developers, Hamptons, are preparing their application for a planning permit with the Department of Sustainability and Environment, and expect to lodge it in early May. Consultative meetings are being held to review the landscape design.

Environmental rating

Hamptons are investigating upgrading the green star environmental rating for the building from 4 ½ stars to 5 stars. Measures being considered include harvesting rainwater and using a chilled beam and displacement ventilation system instead of conventional air conditioning. Read the rest of this entry »

The Wesley Precinct is a bustling place with a lot of life and vibrancy coming from both within the location but also from the key bodies involved in the development. To name a few… Read the rest of this entry »

“Vision Planning” Committee formed

The UCA’s Vision Planning committee for the Wesley Precinct held its first meeting on 6 March on the Wesley site. The committee, with members from the congregations of Wesley Church Melbourne and the Gospel Hall, Wesley Mission Melbourne and the Synod, is chaired by Peter Blackwood, Presbytery Minister, Mission & Education.

The committee, set up by the Wesley Precinct Steering Committee to develop and interpret the agreed vision for the site, will follow the nine principles that came out of the Vision Workshops facilitated by the Rev. Denham Grierson two years ago: that the precinct should have a cross-cultural focus, have flexible use, promote equity of
relationships, be financially viable, encompass multiple forms of Ministry, have an evolutionary development, be open to new partners, honour the gifts of the past, and to have a human scale focus. Read the rest of this entry »

8 February, 2008

The Uniting Church in Australia, Synod of Victoria and Tasmania has welcomed the decision by Heritage Victoria this week to issue a permit for the proposed redevelopment of the Wesley precinct on Lonsdale Street, Melbourne by its partner, Hamptons Development Group.

The application was submitted to Heritage Victoria in May 2007.

The redevelopment will reinforce the role of the Wesley precinct as a place of worship, service and city life. It will also fund substantial conservation works to the heritage buildings on the site, such as the historic church, the manse, school house and the caretaker’s cottage and will establish an ongoing maintenance works program for these buildings. Read the rest of this entry »