Stockland pushes for The Pines to include retirement apartments
ASX listed property player Stockland is intent on adding to its already extensive portfolio of Melbourne retirement living villages by seeking to hive off a part of The Pines Shopping Centre in Doncaster East for hundreds of new retirement living apartments.
Although keen to diversify uses across the centre, Stockland may find it more difficult to realise the outer suburban project in its submitted form. Last week Manningham City Council released a planning report for the proposed 283 retirement living apartments, waving away any intentions of approval.
At 181 Reynolds Road the Doncaster East development sits on the perimeter of Stockland's The Pines Shopping Centre which accounts for a considerable 77,633 square metre footprint.
Stockland and Plus Architecture have positioned the new development on the Reynolds Road and Blackburn Road intersection, replacing an open air car park south and west of the existing shopping centre.
Four multi-storey buildings constitute the development and are supplemented by communal facilities and 835 car spaces (with a portion dedicated to shoppers). Owing to the gradient of the site the tallest building spans approximately 35 metres above the street level.
Manningham City Council's response has been less than ideal from Stockland's perspective.
Council has listed a raft of issues with the Doncaster East application, ranging from non compliance with aspects of The Pines Activity Centre Structure Plan, insufficient community benefit and architectural excellence relative to height and scale, inadequate protection of internal amenity and concerns relating to any future expansion of the shopping centre and bus interchange.
Consequently, Manningham City Council's internal planners have recommended that the proposal be rejected outright.
Accounting for 21,478 square metres of the existing site, the buildings would also include 7 retail spaces amounting to 1,003 square metres, and a medical centre for 10 practitioners over a 500 square metre foorrprint.
Of the 835 car spaces included in the project, 342 are dedicated to residents, 28 to visitors and a hefty 465 would add to the already 1,000 plus which are rolled into the centre.
Manningham City Council last week ruled against the proposal. Having been at planning since mid 2017 and based upon Council's decision, Stockland likely now faces a stint at VCAT or a substantial redesign in order to add the Doncaster East site to its retirement living portfolio.
Aged care and retirement living in the area has been boosted of late by two other significant projects. Cockram during 2017 completed the first stage of a significant CHT Architects-designed independent living centre in Templestowe; it includes 150 bedrooms over four levels plus associated amenites and admin offices.
Urban.com.au during March highlighted Benetas' bid to upscale their Doncaster Road development to include 74 independent living units and a 128 room residential aged care wing.