First Look at $2b Regeneration of Moonee Valley Racecourse

5 Aug 2019

By receiving EnviroDevelopment certification, the Moonee Valley Park is planned to exceed an average energy rating of 6.5 stars, allowing residents to feel proud to live in a sustainably sound household and reap the long term financial benefits.

Key Sustainability Features

Water Rating

All residences at Moonee Valley Park will be fitted with conservative water fixtures rating up to 5 stars. This reduction in water consumption will mean reduced water bill expenses for residents.

Harvesting

Rainwater harvesting systems installed throughout Moonee Valley Park will harvest rainwater from roof to be stored in the wetlands to the East of the infield park area. This will then be reticulated back to portions of the site for use in landscaping and maintenance.

Water Efficient Landscaping

Moonee Valley Park will feature a water sensitive landscape design, utilising native plants and drip irrigation to minimise consumption requirements, both reducing water consumption and in turn helping to ensuring body corporate fees remain competitive.  

Renewable Energy System

Solar panel systems will be installed on some Moonee Valley Park rooftops, offsetting greenhouse gas emissions from common areas shared by residents.

Heating & Cooling

Moonee Valley Park will utilise environmentally friendly heating and cooling, with efficient reverse cycle units and a thermally efficient building design. Residents will enjoy reduced cooling costs over summer and manageable heating overheads throughout the winter months.

Lighting

Energy efficient LED lighting systems will be installed right throughout the individual residences and communal spaces at Moonee Valley Park, creating a comfortable, ambient atmosphere and reducing electricity costs precinct wide.

Internal daylight levels

The Moonee Valley Park residences have been designed to maximise natural lighting and ventilation, with abundant windows and doors throughout meaning less need for lighting, heating and cooling.

Thermal Comfort

High performance window glazing will ensure optimal thermal comfort for Moonee Valley Park residents, which again reduces the need for the use of heating and cooling.

Indoor plants

Rich indoor planting and greenery throughout the Moonee Valley Park Common areas will enhance the lifestyle and wellbeing of all residents.

Transport

Moonee Valley Park has been carefully designed to encourage sustainable transport options, incorporating walking trails and bike paths throughout the project providing key access to nearby public transport.

Construction Waste Minimisation / Environmentally Preferable Materials

Hamton is committed to the pursuit of high quality environmentally sound building practices throughout the construction of Moonee Valley Park. Hamton have implemented a comprehensive waste minimisation strategy and have set a target of 80% of all waste generated on site will be recycled. They also plan to utilise sustainable materials throughout many aspects of the construction and delivery.

About the development

A joint venture between Melbourne developer Hamton Property Group (Hamton) and superannuation fund Hostplus, has unveiled the visionary masterplan for Moonee Valley Park (MVP), to be delivered in partnership with Moonee Valley Racing Club (MVRC).

The century-defining project will transform Moonee Valley Racecourse into new global benchmark for botanic-led living.

Sensitively integrated within an extensive new urban parkland, MVP is expected to become the premium neighbourhood of Melbourne’s North, with green open spaces and one of the world’s premier racecourses at its heart.

“The privilege of partnering with the Club to develop this 40 hectare site just 6km from the CBD comes with a deep sense of responsibility to future generations of Melbournians,” said Hamton Executive Chairman, Paul Hameister OAM.

“With Victoria’s population set to grow from six million today to over 10 million people in the next 30 years we believe strongly that our future population will highly value proximity to nature and botanical open space,” said Hameister.

“With this in mind, we designed a grand botanical park first and then the buildings followed – the result is a neighbourhood within a park.”

50 per cent of the overall site, representing around 20 hectares will be dedicated to new botanical green spaces.

The pedestrian experience will be prioritised over cars in this new premium neighbourhood of Melbourne’s North.

Walkability has been a key design feature with wellness at its core – easy access to new parkland, walking trails, bike paths, sporting fields, playgrounds, food and entertainment.

Many of the new open spaces have been designed to provide a blank canvas for an everchanging curated calendar of community-focussed events.

“The integrity of this vision is only possible to maintain into the future because of the ongoing presence on the site of the Racing Club with its in-house groundskeeping and event management expertise. As a developer, it is rare to have such a committed site custodian into the future”, said Hameister.

At the core of Moonee Valley Park will be the new grandstand and track for the MVRC, which on completion will represent one of the world’s greatest night racing venues that will host up to 30 race meets each year, including the Cox Plate.

MVRC Chairman, Don Casboult said “With a pioneering history dating back to 1883, Moonee Valley Racing Club is one of the greatest race clubs in the world and a vital part of the Moonee Ponds community. The vision for Moonee Valley Park will realise our racing vision that preserves and propels the Club forward for centuries to come.

“Embedding our unique entertainment and hospitality experiences for local, interstate and international visitors within Moonee Valley Park will cement this precinct as a key part of Melbourne’s urban fabric”, he said.

Hostplus CEO, David Elia said, “As the national superannuation fund for those that live and love Australian hospitality, tourism, recreation and sport, Moonee Valley Park is strongly interlinked with the sectors Hostplus serves.

“Our alignment with this project goes even deeper – Hostplus is the proud trustee for the retirement savings for the MVRC employees and around 8,600 City of Moonee Valley residents.

“Hostplus is also delighted to continue its long-standing investment partnership with our development partner, Hamton,” said Mr Elia.

This new neighbourhood within a park will include a diverse range of precincts. A business hub is among the plans, with a thriving and diverse professional community set to base itself across a mix of individual studios to large offices and co-working spaces.

A mix of specialty retailers, cafes, restaurants and sports venues, will add to the atmosphere and complement MVP’s suite of yoga and pilates studios, gyms, medical offices, sporting fields, running tracks and activity spaces located within the racing infield.

Nearby areas bring culture to the fore and provide a canvas for outdoor events, including moonlight cinemas, music concerts, theatrical performances and opera in the park. In addition to these lifestyle and community amenities, over the course of the next decade, MVP is estimated to contribute around 2,000 dwellings to the neighbourhood, comprising towhouses and apartments.