Green light for Collins Wharf

Green light for Collins Wharf

Planning Minister Richard Wynne has given a green light for Lendlease’s $1.2 billion Collins Wharf development, which will create a six-hectare neighbourhood along North Wharf Rd.

Last September, Melbourne City councillors slammed the developer’s plans for five Victoria Harbour towers.

And in November, Mr Wynne told Docklands News: “We are talking to Lendlease about a modified proposal.”

But the successful proposal has approval for the same number of apartments. A Lendlease spokesperson said the Minister merely changed the way the towers were arranged, with the shortest tower now being placed closest to the Bolte Bridge.

Under the approved Lendlease development, a new precinct will emerge with five towers, accommodating 3500 residents and workers and creating 3000 jobs over the next eight years.

The five residential towers will be capped at 85 metres. The residences will range from one to three-bedroom apartments and each apartment will have water views. Four-storey town houses will be built along Collins St.

The project will be completed with five new public parks to provide ample open space for residents.

Collins Wharf will boast an innovative ecological park with floating wetland and a walking trail with new waterfront access along the Yarra River on the western tip of the Northern Promenade.

The wharf will have 2.5km of water frontage to both Victoria Harbour and the Yarra River. Pedestrians and cyclists will be given access to the promenade.

The site will extend from the current Victoria Harbour and Collins and Bourke streets will serve as the main traffic routes through the site.

“This exciting new development will create thousands of jobs and transform the Victoria Harbour precinct of the Docklands into a vibrant residential community with park space to enjoy the great outdoors,” Minister Wynne said.

“Parklands and open space are the keys to happy and healthy communities. We’ve worked with the developer to ensure public space sits at the heart of this development,” he said.

Some small-scale waterfront commercial space will offer opportunities for creative boutique enterprises along the wharf and a health and wellbeing centre will be constructed at the water’s edge.

The project will be delivered over five stages and will create 25,000sqm of public space. Collins Wharf is expected to maintain Victoria Harbour’s six-star green star communities rating from Green Building Council of Australia.

Lendlease’s managing director of urban regeneration, Mark Menhinnitt, said the highlight of the development was the abundant public space, which would complement the places already developed and under construction at Victoria Harbour.

“The Collins Wharf development will take advantage of Victoria Harbour’s existing retail and public space, including Library at The Dock, Community Hub at The Dock, Knowledge Market and more than 80 dining and entertainment options – while adding diverse new public spaces,” he said.

“Following our consultation with the local community in 2015 and engagement with authorities over the past 18 months, I’m confident that our Collins Wharf vision will present one of Melbourne’s most desirable locations for residents, visitors and local workers to enjoy.”

Constructions of the first 320 apartments are expected to start in 2018.

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