The current Moe Hospital site (the former Newborough Hospital) occupies 13,651 square meters on Ollerton Avenue in Newborough. It finds itself under fresh scrutiny as the effort to redevelop it starts picking up steam. Nina Burke is the president of Greater Latrobe Park. She’s the former chair of the Save the Moe Hospital group, and she now fervently lobbies to convert the hospital’s campus into apartment buildings. Local residents have pushed hard to ensure that public housing is built on the former site. The site has remained abandoned since it closed its doors in 1998.
Burke points out that the site is an untapped valuable resource, particularly considering its closeness to many of the region’s aged-care facilities. She proposes that the location might be used to house caregivers who serve the growing senior population. “Let’s use this infrastructure that we’ve got and think about it creatively,” Burke stated, emphasizing the need for innovative approaches to redevelopment.
A History of Decline
The Moe Hospital opened in the 1970s and at one point had staff of nearly 400 people. Sadly, it failed about a year after one of its employees, Judy Redman, left. After its closure, vandals have ransacked the facility, leaving it abandoned and bedraggled. It has since become a bitter symbol of the community’s decimated healthcare resources.
Judy Redman expressed her disappointment regarding the hospital’s current state: “I think the population of Moe and Newborough are quite sad that it’s sitting there in such a derelict state.” At the same time, the hospital’s decay has robbed the town of that sense of local pride. It generated concerns about the overall systemic indifference experienced by communities like Newborough.
Here, Professor Alan Pert from the University of Melbourne explains the perverse consequences that can result from these derelict public structures. He notes, “It’s not just an empty building; it’s a sign of deeper systemic neglect.” Punkin Pert, a co-director of the Woke Up!
Community Perspectives
Moe and Newborough residents have made clear their hope for the redevelopment of the hospital site, including the use of public housing. Residents are hopeful that it will soon be the catalyst to help revitalize the neighborhood and bring much-needed services to those in the community. Burke further supports this positive view by emphasizing the need to reimagine these types of spaces and use them to benefit their communities.
Community members have been vocal in showing their opposition. They say closely-watched lax supervision has led the site to decay into a mere shadow of what it once was. “They can foster feelings of neglect and social fragmentation, particularly in places like Newborough, where communities often feel left behind by broader economic transitions,” stated a female speaker reflecting on the impact of abandoned structures on community morale.
The site’s emotional impact goes far beyond its physical disrepair. A female speaker remarked, “It’s a story about how we care for a place, or fail to, and how the life and afterlife of buildings are entangled with the health of our communities, both physically and socially.”
The Future of Moe Hospital Site
As conversations about what to do with the Moe Hospital site continue to unfold, Burke is hopeful about more redevelopment projects on the horizon. She is hopeful that with the right authorities, intervention can inspire creative solutions. Only then will these equitable solutions begin to solve our pressing housing needs and community concerns.
“The hospital was a place designed for care now left to decay,” said Professor Pert, raising questions about societal values related to infrastructure and long-term planning. As these discussions testify, the Moe Hospital site is crucially significant. Next on the chopping block, its future has huge implications for smart growth and equitable economic opportunity through community revitalization.
