Let there be light

Let there be light

Lend Lease will review the layout of apartments in its 888 Collins St development, after the City of Melbourne raised issue with the inclusion of windowless rooms.

The “flexi-rooms” were a sore point at the Future Melbourne Committee Meeting on July 1, when a ministerial planning referral came before Melbourne’s councillors.

According to a report presented to councillors at the meeting, a number of apartments in the proposed building would have rooms without access to natural light or ventilation.

Identified as “flexi-rooms”, the council report stated the rooms were not intended as bedrooms but as additional area to increase the useability of the apartments.

But Lord Mayor Robert Doyle dismissed the flexi-rooms as nothing more than cupboards.

“A room that doesn’t have direct or indirect access to daylight, ventilation or outlook is not a room, it’s a cupboard,” Cr Doyle said.

Councillors unanimously endorsed a motion to support the planning application, subject to a number of conditions, including modification of the “flexi-rooms”.

Speaking at the meeting, a Lend Lease spokesperson said the developer was currently reviewing the “flexi-rooms” and looking to change the internal configurations.

Planning Minister Matthew Guy is responsible for approving the planning permit for the proposed 40-storey residential building, which will be located opposite the Library at the Dock in Victoria Harbour.

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