Factory plans revealed
600 student campus
Development plans for a training and education facility with on-site accommodation for more than 400 students have been revealed for the old Miller’s Thread Factory in Warragul.
Miller Factory Property Holdings submitted a planning permit application last week, outlining plans for a $4.8 million development on the Sutton St site that will retain the historic building’s façade.
The development could see multiple registered training organisations including TAFE colleges and universities operate at the campus, offering vocational education training (VET) courses.
Up to 600 student placements will be available at the facility, as well as on-site accommodation for 424 students.
Project manager Peter O’Dea said it was an exciting project for the town and would offer a diverse range of training opportunities to local and international students.
He said the accommodation facilities would fill an increasing need for international students seeking study placements.
The accommodation will include single room and dormitory style rooms.
Mr O’Dea said 60 teaching position would be created at the campus while students would have opportunities to undertake training placements at local businesses.
The planning permit lodged with Baw Baw Shire seeks to change the use of the site for a registered training facility and associated building works.
If planning processes and building works progress smoothly, Mr O’Dea said the campus and accommodation could be open by February next year.
Miller Factory Property Holdings purchased the building and 12,000 square metre site last year from St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School.
The school had used the building for its year nine campus.
Online sales data for the property showed the site sold for $3.1 million.
Mr O’Dea said the building had been designed with the intention of resurrecting the community function of the factory.
“The proposed development is complementary, efficient and respectful to the former James Miller building,” he said.
The factory building, including its façade and historic saw tooth brickwork, will be retained.
A third storey will be incorporated into the development that Mr O’Dea said would be three metres higher than the existing building and would not be intrusive on the streetscape.
The accommodation facility will be established on the east side of the building.
Mr O’Dea said the developers engaged heritage architects Plico Design Studio to develop a design that was respectful to the former building whilst catering for student education, training and accommodation needs.
He said all mature trees on the site would be retained and the site’s original features would be retained to ensure its history remains intact.
“We don’t want to detract from the old building, we want to keep as much of the heritage as we can,” he said.
Mr O’Dea said the site was well served with public busses to the site and a shuttle bus service would operate by the campus into town to connect to train services.
The James Miller Thread Factory was built in 1945. Since the factory closed in 1962, it has been used by Momentum Cards, CTC Engineering, a dance school and most recently the St Paul’s year nine campus.