La Trobe unveils 30-year masterplan to evolve north Melbourne campus

La Trobe University has unveiled the latest update in a $5 billion masterplan to transform its 225-hectare Bundoora campus in Melbourne's north, with their aim to provide housing for 15,000 people, including 15 percent affordable housing, and facilities for 40,000 students - a 45 percent increase on current student numbers.

The "University City" project has been ongoing for some time, with a proposal to accommodate 12,000 staff and students, along with a mix of commercial, retail and cultural facilities, in 2018.

Parts of this plan have since been realised, including Jackson Clements Burrows Architects' design for a pair of student accommodation buildings housing 624 beds in total, and the La Trobe Sports Park - described in a media communique from the university as a "world-class sports precinct for teaching, research, community participation and elite sport" - designed by Warren and Mahoney.

The updated 30-year vision, as detailed in the media statement, includes three distinct villages and the growth of the campus's city centre, which is intended to transform the Bundoora site into "a dynamic centre of innovation, knowledge and sustainability." The project has been developed through consultation with stakeholders, community and the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation.

Located adjacent to existing homes, the campus's north village will have a residential focus, while the east village, the closest to Macleod Train Station, will be a mixed-use neighbourhood built on student accommodation, and the south village will have a research, innovation and commercial focus. At the campus's core, the existing city centre will grow westward with new commercial, retail and academic developments.

The plans also encompass more than 1 million square metres of "regenerative, climate-resilient open space," including the enhancement and protection of the Nangak Tamboree eco-corridor, as a way to "[connect] the city to the wider environment and bringing its inhabitants closer to nature."

An improved transport network with expanded pedestrian and cycling links, new streets, laneways and roads, alongside a proposed Suburban Rail Loop train station, is also part of the masterplan.

Chancellor John Brumby said University City reimagined La Trobe's place in the broader community.

"University City could boost Gross Regional Product (GRP) in Melbourne's north-east by an estimated $440 million each year by the completion of the project, while additional interstate and international students could spend around $202 million per annum in the Victorian economy," he said.

"La Trobe University City will not only transform our campus, it will create a thriving community that drives innovation and economic prosperity."

La Trobe vice-chancellor professor Theo Farrell added that the initiative would enhance the quality of life for students and staff, and contribute significantly to the social fabric of Melbourne's north.

"University City is a bold, purpose-built innovation city where education drives everything - and sparks so much more," he said, describing the proposal as "a connected ecosystem of industry, health, housing, culture, sport and green space," and "a new model of how knowledge, place and imagination [can] come together."

Construction is currently underway on the campus's $82 million University Health Clinic, designed by Woods Bagot. The building is expected to be complete by mid-2026.