Brand Junction

infobox shopping mall
shopping_mall_name = Brand Junction


caption =
location = Bundoora, Melbourne Australia
coordinates = coord|-37.685|145.078|display=inline|format=dms
opening_date = 2007
developer = MAB Corporation
manager = MAB Corporation
owner = MAB Corporation
number_of_stores = 60
floor_area =
number_of_anchors = 1
floors = 1
website = [http://www.brandjunction.com.au Brand Junction]

Brand Junction is a shopping precinct located in the University Hill area of Bundoora in the outer northeastern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. Brand Junction is one of nine precincts anticipated by the Janefield Development Plan, which was approved on 20 July 2004 by the City of Whittlesea and contains a mix of residential, commercial, retail and industry intended to be developed over the next 10-12 years by Melbourne property developer MAB Corporation on a convert|103.8|ha|acre|1|lk=on|sing=on site which is bounded by Plenty Road to the west, the Metropolitan Ring Road to the south, the Plenty Road Gorge Parklands to the east and RMIT University's Bundoora East Campus to the north.cite book|url=http://whittlesea.vic.gov.au/files/1812_DEV%20BULL%2006.indd.pdf|chapter=MAB Corporation - University Hill|title=City of Whittlesea Development Bulletin - Second Edition|author=City of Whittlesea|month=September|year=2006|accessdate=2007-07-27] [cite web|url=http://www.brandjunction.com.au/location/KeyFacts/ |title=Brand Junction Key Facts|accessdate=2007-07-27]

Brand Junction, which was approved by the City of Whittlesea in 2005, is being built by St Hilliers at an expected cost of AUD $40 million, and is expected to include a Coles supermarket [cite news|title=Coles signs up for University Hill|date=14 August 2006|work=Inside Retailing] , 28 specialty stores and up to 90 factory outlets in tenancies ranging from 80sqm to over 500sqm and offering discounted fashion, footwear, homewares, shopping and lifestyle goods from name brands. [cite web|url=http://www.brandjunction.com.au/news/6/|title=Builder on board for Brand Junction|date=10 October 2006|author=MAB Corporation|accessdate=2007-07-27] [cite news|title=Retailers get on board Brand Junction|date=11 December 2006|work=Inside Retailing] Some tenants already signed up include Laura Ashley, Harris Scarfe, Roger David and Wittner.

History of University Hill

Historically, what is now the University Hill precinct was originally used from October 1920 until July 1925 as a farm by the Australian Red Cross for training ex-servicemen convalescing for tuberculosis. [cite web|url=http://www.yprl.vic.gov.au/cdroms/heritage/08.pdf|title=City of Whittlesea Heritage Study|author=Meredith Gould Architects Pty Ltd|year=1990|publisher=City of Whittlesea|accessdate=2007-07-27] On 27 October 1937, the convert|960|acre|km2|0|lk=on|sing=on site, known as Janefield, was gazetted as a centre for children with severe intellectual disabilities, and the first children were moved to the facility from Kew Cottages a month later. It was known by the unfortunate title of Janefield Colony for the Treatment of Mental Defectives until 1962, after which it became a Training Centre under the provisions of the Mental Health Act 1959. At its height, the centre had a special school, farm, gym, family unit, swimming pool and theatre. [cite web|url=http://www.access.prov.vic.gov.au/public/component/daPublicBaseContainer?component=daViewAgency&entityId=2847|title=Agency VA 2847 - Janefield|author=Public Record Office Victoria|year=2005|accessdate=2007-07-27] Due in part to changing community attitudes about the care of intellectually disabled people, the centre was closed in 1995 by the Kennett Liberal government, and residents were moved into new residential accommodation just north of the site, at a site known as Plenty Residential Services. [cite book|last=Jones|first=Mary Lucille|title=Colony to Community : The Janefield and Kingsbury training centres|publisher=Australian Scholarly Publishing|year=1997|location=Kew, Victoria|id= ISBN 1-8756064-4-0] [cite news|url=http://hnb.dhs.vic.gov.au/web/pubaff/medrel.nsf/LinkView/52E0071772A516B24A2565A6007DFA22?OpenDocument|title= Media Release - Dr Napthine opens new Plenty Residential Services for disabled|author=Department of Human Services (Victoria)|date=21 October 1997|accessdate=2007-07-27] Reserves over the rest of the land (about convert|1.2|km2|acre|0) were revoked under section 10 of the Land (Miscellaneous Matters) and National Tennis Centre (Amendment) Act 1994, to facilitate the sale and redevelopment of the land for residential purposes as part of the then-Federal Government's "Building Better Cities" program.cite news|url=http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/SARC/Alert_Digests_94/alert13a.htm|title=Land (Miscellaneous Matters) and National Tennis Centre (Amendment) Bill|work=Alert Digest 13 of 1994|publisher=Parliament of Victoria|accessdate=2007-07-27]

The land was subsequently purchased by the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT, later RMIT University) in July 1997 at a cost of AUD $12 million, with the intention of building a technology estate, a neighbourhood shopping centre, a residential subdivision and recreational facilities (including a golf course) on the site. The final master plan was approved by the City of Whittlesea in November 1998.cite book|title=Report of the Auditor-General on RMIT's finances|author=Victorian Auditor-General's Office|chapterurl=http://www.audit.vic.gov.au/reports_other/RMIT_Part5.pdf|chapter=Part 5 - Specific issues impacting on RMIT's financial position|pages=60-63|date=4 June 2003|accessdate=2007-07-27] However, a status report presented to the University's board on 30 October 2001, delivered in the midst of a cash crisis for the University as a whole, recommended "that efforts and activities to develop and implement the RMIT Technology Estate as a major physical project on the Janefield site should cease". The report attributed the failure to implement the project to several factors, including lack of State Government support, absence of private sector involvement and investment, and inadequate resources within RMIT. On 5 March 2003 the Victorian Minister for Education granted permission for the University to sell the convert|103.8|ha|acre|1 still in their possession, and a public tender process was conducted on RMIT's behalf by Jones Lang LaSalle.cite news|url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/06/02/1054406130688.html|last=Martin|first=Hugh|title=MAB in box seat as RMIT's sale plan gains pace|work=The Age|date=3 June 2003|accessdate=2007-07-27] The tender was won by Melbourne developer MAB Corporation, [cite hansard | url= http://www.aph.gov.au/hansard/reps/dailys/dr311005.pdf | house= Australian House of Representatives | date= 31 October 2005 | page_start= 130 | page_end= 131 ] who worked with the City of Whittlesea to create a new master plan for a mixed-use urban village consisting of industrial, retail, residential and community facilities. [cite web|url=http://www.mabcorp.com.au/pdf/10year.pdf|title=MAB - Celebrating 10 Years of Vision|author=MAB Corporation|year=2005|pages=61-62|accessdate=2007-07-27]

References

External links