1091 Plenty Rd, Bundoora
Once the domain of Smorgy's and more recently a buffet restaurant, developer Park Rise Australia has for some time sought to knife and fork the existing building in the hope of delivering a multi-building apartment complex some 14 kilometres from Melbourne's CBD. Mid last year Crikey blog The Urbanist ran an article reagrding the proposed development at 1091 Plenty Rd, Bundoora. The aforementioned in depth and incisive piece touched on a number of pertinent topics relevant to both this proposed development and development in general. 600 plus local residents opposed the development at the time, while local council unanimously rejected the proposal designed by Cornetta Partners Architects. Images of the now defunct original scheme are provided below
December 2012 saw a revised planning application put to Darebin City Council along with a February VCAT hearing for 1091 Plenty Rd. Designed by Peddle Thorp Architects, the new scheme maintains 474 units, although all 3 bedroom options have been deleted in favour of one and two bedroom dwellings. Planned bycicle spaces would fall from 329 to 251, available retail space diminsihes from 1389sqm to 958sqm while single bedroom residences fall from 135 to 123, therefore resulting in an increase of dual bedroom dwellings to 351. A new architect brings a new design ethos, with Peddle Thorp paying particular attention to a terraced building design; Peddle Thorp documentation reads as follows
"The revised scheme has an improved response to the context by stepping and terracing the buildings 2,3,4 and 5 from the internal street to the Bundoora Park interface. The stepped garden roof terraces with landscaped planter boxes better integrate these buildings with the Park enviorns. Elevation views of the buildings from the park are softer and less imposing. The building floor plates for buildings 2,3,4 and 5 have been redesigned featuring triangular bay windows which provide all living areas with direct views of Bundoora Park and reduce over looking into adjacent buildings. This dsignfeature also created more articulated and sculptured facade for all these buildings."
According to the submitted planning document, the essential figures are as follows
Building 1A 7 inhabited levels 76 apartments height 28m
Building 1B 6 inhabited levels 44 apartments height 24m
Building 2 5 inhabited levels 31 apartments height 18m
Building 3 10 inhabited levels 107 apartments height 33m
Building 4 11 inhabited levels 122 apartments height 36m
Building 5 9 inhabited levels 94 apartments height 30m
All buildings share a common underground carpark. Logic would suggest that if approved the entire carpark and at least one apartment complex would begin simultaneously, whilst other buildings may be built at a later time in line with market conditions.
The VCAT decision on 1091 Plenty Rd is imminent
Images of the current planning application below are courtesy and © Peddle Thorp Architects