Developer Hamton and joint venture partner Hostplus have lodged plans for the sixth stage of the Moonee Valley Park redevelopment – Cox Plate Precinct – in Melbourne’s inner northwest, marking the next phase of the $3bn transformation of the Moonee Valley Racecourse.
Cox Plate Precinct proposes five new buildings that will deliver around 1,100 residences. The mix includes two Build to Rent apartment buildings, two Build to Sell buildings and a hotel. The buildings will range in height from ten to 25 storeys, with 10% of the dwellings allocated to affordable housing. The estimated cost to deliver this stage is just over $850m.
Complementing the residential components is over 3,000 sqm of retail space, including an approximately 800 sqm supermarket, alongside 4,100 sqm of commercial office space. The hotel will provide 184 rooms, activating the ground plane with lobby and retail uses.
The Cox Plate Precinct occupies part of the existing racecourse infrastructure, including the grandstands, horse stalls and parade ring, and will further expand Tote Park, which was completed in 2020. Architects DKO, Nelson + Koo, and FK Australia are collaborating on the design of the precinct, with landscape design led by Tract.
“We are excited to be working through the planning process for this next stage at Moonee Valley Park. We are crafting a unique mixed-use precinct, and this collection of buildings will unlock further significant new housing supply for Melbourne’s inner northwest.”
Matt Malseed, Managing Director, Hamton
The two Build to Sell buildings, Grandstand North and Grandstand South, will be positioned to overlook the racecourse. Grandstand South will feature a tower form broken by vertical greening and comprise around 366 apartments. Grandstand North will be a slender tower containing 191 apartments.
According to the Urban Design Report, Grandstand North will act as a placemaking marker where Cox Place opens to the racetrack, with an oval form that orients apartments toward the Melbourne CBD. The report describes the design as a distinctive silhouette within the wider Moonee Valley skyline, with the podium levels extending along Cox Place to create a clear and accessible entry sequence.
The proposal was submitted to the Victorian Department of Planning in May. Subject to approvals, construction on the two residential buildings is expected to begin in the third quarter of 2028. A build partner is yet to be appointed.
The Cox Plate Precinct continues Hamton and Hostplus’s long-term delivery of the Moonee Valley Park masterplan, which is transforming the historic racecourse into a mixed-use community of homes, hospitality, workplaces and open space.
