Abbotsford Convent may see a new four-storey building within its heritage-listed precinct.
Mercy Health is seeking approval to redevelop property within the heritage-listed Abbotsford Convent precinct.
The healthcare provider plans to demolish the former Mercy Place Abbotsford Nursing Home at 2-10 Clarke Street and replace it with a four-storey residential development containing 64 apartments, earmarked for senior living accommodation.
Abbotsford Convent Mercy Health development
- Where: 2-10 Clarke Street, Abbotsford
- What: A proposed four-storey, 64-apartment residential development
- Submissions: Public submissions on the permit close Tuesday 17 June.
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Abbotsford Convent site history
The Abbotsford Convent site at 2 Clarke Street was originally purchased by the Sisters of the Good Shepherd in 1863 for use as a convent.
Mercy Health acquired the Abbotsford Hostel and Nursing Home in 2015 as part of its national network of aged care homes.
Mercy Place Abbotsford, as it was subsequently known, was licensed for 92 beds. It closed in April 2023.
The proposal
It is proposed to demolish all the existing built form and soft landscaping at 2-10 Clarke Street, including the single-storey link to the Good Shepherd Chapel.
The newly proposed development would offer senior living accommodation across four levels, with basement parking, communal spaces on the ground floor and service areas.
The main entry will be located mid-way along the Clarke Street frontage, with a secondary pedestrian entry at the northern end.
The ground floor will contain eighteen apartments, with central communal spaces.
The first floor will have a similar configuration to the ground floor, with nineteen apartments, each with a balcony.
Level 2 and Level 3 will include partial setbacks relative to the levels below, and contain fifteen apartments and twelve apartments respectively, also with balconies.
While the new building would have a smaller footprint than the existing double-storey structure, its increased height (13.2 metres) could partially reduce views of the Abbotsford Convent and chapel spires from some positions along Clarke Street.
Victorian Heritage Register
The extent of registration of the Abbotsford Convent was recently revised to include 2-10 Clarke Street and the Good Shepherd Chapel.
The Heritage Council’s determination of 6 February 2025 defined the revised extent of registration ‘comprises all land associated with the former Convent of the Good Shepherd, including the site of the Convent Chapel and the demolished Abbotsford House. It also unites those parts of the former Convent located on the north and south sides of St Helier Street by including the street and includes the unformed section of the road casement which has been integrated with the grounds.’
The site sits within the registered Abbotsford Convent heritage place and is subject to Heritage Overlay protections under the Yarra Planning Scheme.
The current building on the targeted site contains no heritage elements, constructed after the demolition of the original Abbotsford House and St Joseph’s Industrial School in the 1970s.
The key heritage interface of the site is with the Abbotsford Convent complex to the east, where there are two large adjacent significant heritage buildings.
The development proposal includes removing part of the bluestone fence adjacent to the convent, though the remaining portion along the southern boundary would be retained.
The new building would maintain the same Clarke Street setback as the existing structure but feature greater setbacks on other sides.
Heritage Victoria and Yarra Council have both been consulted through pre-application meetings held in mid-May 2024.
Community members can make submissions on Mercy Health’s Abbotsford Convent permit application here, or by emailing [email protected].
