Grand vision for Seeing Eye Dogs

After months of setbacks, the $6.85 million redevelopment of Vision Australia's Kensington headquarters is now on track.

The upgrade will triple the organisation's ability to meet the growing need for its services.

Originally slated to start in January, the upgrade was delayed by plans taking longer to finalise and delays in securing funding.

A decision on a builder is expected to be made within weeks with construction to start in the first week of October.

The project involves establishing a new breeding centre and kennels, enabling between 70 to 100 per cent more Seeing Eye Dogs to be bred at the centre each year.

Vision Australia general manager Leigh Garwood said there was a two year waiting list for a Seeing Eye Dog.

The new headquarters would be three times the size of its existing building and would allow the organisation to help reduce its waiting list.

Mr Garwood said Vision Australia did not receive government funding and was relying on donations and fundraising to pay for the project.

The organisation has recently been selected for the 2012 eftpos Giveback campaign donation.

The campaign, which runs for four weeks in the lead-up to Christmas, asks shoppers to give to Vision Australia when making an eftpos transaction.

Funds raised through Giveback will go to the breeding and training centre in Kensington.

Centre for Eye Research has released figures that predict the number of blind people in Australia will double to 600,000 in the next nine years because of an increasing diabetes epidemic, people living longer and increased rates of macular degeneration.