Pentridge Prison developers fight for towers to soar even higher

1 week ago 5

Plans for 2 caller flat towers wrong the historical bluestone walls of Coburg’s Pentridge Prison are being opposed by Merri-bek Council, which argues the developer is attempting to overshoot agreed tallness limits acceptable retired successful a masterplan 10 years ago.

The assembly past week voted unanimously to cull an 11-storey and a 12-storey flat gathering containing 245 units.

Renders of Shayher Group’s projected plans caller residential towers connected Champ Street down Pentridge’s Historic bluestone walls.

Pentridge closed arsenic a prison successful 1997. Brisbane-based Shayher Group, portion of the elephantine Taiwanese flat developer Par Jar Group, acquired the bluish fractional of the situation tract successful 2013.

In the decennary since, ample parts of the situation tract were developed, including a buying mall, cinema, 19-storey flat tower, townhouses and the 16-storey Adina flat hotel.

A masterplan for redevelopment of the situation prepared by Shayher and signed disconnected by the authorities authorities successful 2014 contains “proposed” – not mandatory – tallness limits of 8 and 9 storeys for the 2 buildings known arsenic Building 1 and Building 2 facing onto Champs Street.

In 2022, Shayher submitted applications for the buildings to Merri-bek Council with 1 further storey each (nine and 10 storeys respectively).

A spokeswoman for the assembly said Merri-bek readying officers had indicated enactment for the archetypal exertion adjacent though it was 1 storey supra the preferred limit, but the exertion was connected clasp portion the developer worked done practice issues with Heritage Victoria.

Then successful December past year, Shayher resubmitted tweaked plans with a further 2 storeys included connected each building.

Council did not marque a determination connected the licence wrong its designated 60-day timeframe and Shayher took the substance to VCAT earlier this year.

On Wednesday, councillors voted to reason the exertion astatine VCAT, arguing 3 storey much than the preferred tallness would marque the improvement excessively bulky and formed excessively overmuch shadow.

The connection besides did not see crushed level commercialized oregon retail abstraction to activate adjacent courtyards arsenic intended nether the masterplan.

AP Planning advisor Annabel Paul, who spoke connected behalf of Shayher Group astatine the meeting, argued that the gathering heights successful the masterplan were not maximum limits, and plans for retail and commercialized abstraction had contained the caveat “subject to marketplace conditions”.

“While we hold that the wide imaginativeness for the full of the Pentridge tract includes a scope of uses, this is not to use to each gathering wrong the precinct,” she said.

“It is simply not viable oregon desirable successful our presumption to supply retail successful each gathering crossed the site.”

Paul said the connection was mostly successful accordance with the masterplan and would supply 245 caller homes successful Coburg that were intelligibly required successful a lodging crisis.

The Victorian authorities has committed to delivering 80,000 homes per year for the adjacent decade, arguing expanding proviso volition code the state’s lodging affordability crisis.

Greens councillor Mark Riley said portion determination was a lodging crisis, the plan should not beryllium “this precocious and this bulky, down bluestone Pentridge walls”.

“There’s immense buildings up adjacent to the obstruction … it’s going to truly alteration the consciousness of that thoroughfare with these imposing buildings,” helium said.

The imaginativeness of the aboriginal Pentridge precinct arsenic acceptable retired successful the 2014 masterplan.

Socialist Alliance Councillor Sue Bolton said determination were “no fantastic elements of this improvement that would warrant the developer conscionable trying to marque large bucks retired of going mode implicit the tallness limit”.

The gangly bluestone walls incarcerated immoderate of the state’s astir infamous criminals for astir 150 years, including Ned Kelly and Chopper Read.

Shayher Group did not respond to requests for comment. The substance returns to VCAT connected May 31.

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