Council backs sale of Haymarket Walk to support infectious disease institute

The City of Melbourne will sell Haymarket Walk to the University of Melbourne, paving the way for the $650 million development of the Australian Institute for Infectious Disease (AIID).

At the October 28 council meeting, councillors endorsed the $3.7 million sale of the pedestrian walkway, located between Elizabeth and Berkeley streets, to allow the university to consolidate land for the state-of-the-art research facility.

The institute is being delivered in partnership with the Victorian Government, which has committed up to $400 million, alongside funding from the Doherty Institute, the Burnet Institute, and philanthropic donors.

Once complete, it will be the largest centre of expertise in the Southern Hemisphere and is touted to supercharge the ongoing efforts of the world-leading researchers at Victoria’s universities and medical research institutes.

At the meeting, the council’s head of the innovation and education portfolio Cr Andrew Rowse described the decision as a major step forward for Melbourne’s biomedical precinct.

“In the dark days of COVID, it was the Doherty Institute here in Melbourne that was the first place globally to genomically sequence and grow COVID in a lab – advancing vaccine production worldwide,” he said.

“It’s great to see that legacy continue through the AIID and the research it will support.”

Under the approved plan, Haymarket Walk will be removed from the public road register and incorporated into the university’s landholding. However, public pedestrian access will be maintained through the site.

The University of Melbourne will cover all costs associated with the road discontinuance and pay the full market value for the land.

Council officers noted that Haymarket Walk holds “no strategic, historic or community significance” and that its sale would not affect the safe or efficient functioning of the area.

The AIID is expected to open in 2027, bringing together researchers, scientists and medical professionals dedicated to tackling infectious diseases and strengthening Victoria’s pandemic preparedness. •