Victoria approves Southbank Queensbridge tower after three-year permit process
Victoria’s Planning Minister Richard Wynne has approved a $420 million mixed-use project in Melbourne’s Southbank three years after the planned Queensbridge tower was caught up in overnight changes affecting density ratios.
Developer Sheng Le Group, which entered the Victorian market in 2014, has won ministerial approval for the 47-storey twin tower hotel and apartment project at 87-127 Queensbridge Street.
A key condition of the approval is the creation of a 1465-square-metre pedestrian link under the building that will connect Queensbridge Street and City Road, creating a pathway to the nearby Boyd Park on Balston Street. The addition of the public realm walkway, part of a bigger master plan for City Road, allowed the project a plot ratio of 21:1 and will create some overshadowing of Boyd Park.
The project that will integrate aspects of the former Robur Tea Warehouse and the heritage-protected Castlemaine Brewery into the design will create 733 apartments and a 188-room hotel, along with 1300 square metres of ground level retail and 5000 square metres of podium-level office accommodation.
“Our Queensbridge Street development is an opportunity to provide significant improvement to the Southbank community in terms of design, quality and liveability,” said Daniel Lao, development manager of Sheng Le Group. “The design opens connections between private and public zones to create an exciting new addition to the public realm and a new community focus on Boyd Park.”
Mr Wynne called the project – one of four, including Cbus Property’s 447 Collins Street project, that applied for special permitting process after the sudden imposition of tighter planning controls – a “great development” for Melbourne’s CBD.
“We’re making sure Melbourne is supported by responsible development that creates new jobs and supports the sustainable growth of this great city,” he said.
