Search starts for Footscray Hospital builder
The new $1.5 billion Footscray Hospital is one step closer with a search now underway for a public-private consortium to deliver the largest hospital infrastructure project in Victoria’s history.
Victorian Health Minister Jenny Mikakos today announced the government is seeking partners for the design, construction, finance and maintenance of the world-leading project, to be built adjacent Victoria University’s Footscray Park Campus.
VU is proud to be an important part of a health and education precinct that will support VU’s Colleges of Health and Biomedicine, Sport and Exercise Science, and Institute for Health & Sport, delivering major health, economic and education benefits to Melbourne’s dynamic west.
The project will be a further boost to the development of the Footscray University Town, a joint project with the Maribyrnong City Council and the West of Melbourne Economic Development Alliance (WoMEDA), and will complement existing research and education facilities that VU uses at the expanding Sunshine Hospital.
Acting Vice Chancellor Professor Marcia Devlin said VU was proud to play a major role in creating the ground-breaking health and education precinct.
“The precinct will bring significant benefits for our students, staff, and partners, and become a distinctive feature of VU’s contribution to the West of Melbourne.”
Construction of the new 504-bed Footscray hospital is expected to start next year, creating up to 2,000 jobs until the expected opening of the hospital in 2025.
The new hospital will replace the aging Footscray Hospital built in the 1950s, allowing almost 15,000 additional patients to be treated and 20,000 more patients to be seen at the emergency department each year.
Minister Mikakos said the local community will have a ‘big say’ in shaping the new Footscray Hospital through a Community Consultative Committee chaired by Footscray MP Katie Hall.