School students visit construction site to welcome new social housing neighbours

Students from a nearby school have visited the construction site of a major new social housing project in Melbourne's eastern suburbs to welcome their soon-to-be neighbours.

The Elsternwick Primary School pupils on Monday stopped by the New Street development in Brighton, which will have 148 homes available for private rentals and 151 for social housing.

Their visit coincided with signs from the school posted on cranes at the site reading "Welcome New Neighbours".

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"I think it will be good and lots of them can come to our school and join our community," one student said.

The welcoming attitude is a far cry from that of state Liberal MP Wendy Lovell, who has previously opposed the development.

In March, she claimed there was no point in building social housing in the "best street in Brighton".

"Children can not mix or go to the school with the other children - they don't have the same ability to have the latest in sneakers and iPhones," Lovell said at the time.

Housing Minister Danny Pearson on Monday welcomed the progress made on construction and said it was important to build a community that integrated social and private housing.

"I mean, where else would you rather be?" Pearson said.

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"You'll have social housing tenants, you will have private renters, living together, working together, raising their families and building a community."

The development is now well underway and tenants should be able to move in by early 2024.

Similar mixed social housing projects are being built in Flemington and Prahran.