Brandon Park Technical School opened in 1978 on a site bounded by Academy and Collegium Avenues, Brandon Park Drive and Strada Crescent. Around 1990 it was rebadged as Brandon Park Secondary College, but declining enrolments led to its closure in 2003. The school buildings became Monash Special Development School, which relocated from its original location in 2009. The remainder of the vast site was sold to Ryman Healthcare in 2014 ($47.5m) and is now the Nellie Melba Retirement Village.
Then
Now
Furthermore
The Monash Special Development School only required a minority of the site, and it took until 2014 to dispose of the remainder. The sale price for the unused portion was staggering, and can be attributed to some deft planning by the then Napthine State Government. Monash Council queried the Government’s decision to place a Development Plan Overlay (DPO) on the site, but was ignored by the Government prior to sale. The DPO removed residents’ rights to object to development, making it more attractive to developers. The Nellie Melba Retirement Village resulted.
Links
Brandon Park Secondary College (Tech) – public Facebook group