Big plans for Broadmeadows

Hume City Council and the Victorian Planning Authority recently announced that the Broadmeadows Town Hall would be converted into a new mixed-use space.

As well as being a venue for community events and forums, the redeveloped facility will double up as a jobs and professional space.

Most Melburnians likely wouldn’t associate this traditionally blue-collar suburb as a magnet for entrepreneurs, but with this latest development, Broadmeadows could soon be just that.

Leveraging off the success of other thriving jobs hubs, such as the Brunswick Business Incubator, the council and state government have identified that this model would work well in Broadmeadows.

With one of the highest unemployment rates in the state, Broadmeadows is in need of innovative measures to create jobs.

Enter the town hall. Historically important and much loved, but under-utilised in its current form, this iconic 60s building has great sentimental value for many Broadmeadows locals.

When council asked residents what they would like to see happen to the building, it was clear people were emotionally attached to the redbrick behemoth, which inspired memories of schools formals, flashy car shows and 21^st birthday parties.

Recognising the significance of the building but knowing it had to be updated to suit the needs of today’s community, Hume City Council came up with the idea of turning the town hall into a mixed-use development. The council determined the building would be one of its priority infrastructure commitments over the coming years, with council investing $13 million in its renewal.

The MPA and local member Frank McGuire also saw the great value in the plan, and successfully secured a $7 million State Government investment in the project.

Many local professionals such as accountants and lawyers would like to work in Broadmeadows but the lack of quality office space means they rent space elsewhere, which is a loss for the area.

When upgrades are completed in 2018, council will allow small business owners to rent office spaces in the building for an affordable rate. Through the incubator, tenants will be able to access mentorships, leadership seminars and networking opportunities.

In return, tenants are encouraged to embrace the incubator’s collaborative philosophy, by sharing their expertise to help one another thrive.

This model has proven to be an effective way of stimulating jobs growth and supporting up-and-coming entrepreneurs.

Brunswick Business Incubator manager Anthony O’Brien says the incubator has had significant economic benefits to the wider Brunswick community.

Business owners pour money into the suburb through the supply chain – whether that consists of buying materials from local shops, hiring local people to help in the running of their business, or even just by spending money at cafés on their lunchbreaks.

He says a significant number of graduates choose to base their businesses in the Brunswick area when they outgrow the incubator, because they have formed strong networks in the area.

But regardless of whether graduates from the incubator remain in Broadmeadows when their businesses grow, the fact the town hall will soon be a major drawcard for start-ups and modern offices can only be good news for Broadmeadows and the region.

Here at the MPA, we are confident that over time, with the right interventions and support, jobless figures in Broadmeadows will start to decrease, and the suburb will fulfil its role as the capital of Melbourne’s north.