Banco pushes further into Footscray

Banco pushes further into Footscray
Mark BaljakJuly 26, 2016

The heart of Footscray is in for more change as Banco Group looks to facilitate the development of an underutilised tract of land.

With the balance of the sizeable site an at grade car park, 14 Albert Street has been earmarked for a mixed-use development. In addition to residential apartments, a cinema, supermarket, speciality shops, aged care facility, medical centres and a restaurant have all been included within the JAM Architects-designed proposal.

In its revised application, the development team has also sought to maintain activity around the development post hours.

According to the Urban Context Report, "It has long been a desire of Council to consolidate core retail within this precinct as well as facilitate a number of night-time activities that aid in maintaining security and preventing undesirables loitering within the Centre."

14 Albert Street Footscray application summary

Banco pushes further into Footscray
Aerial perspective of the development. Planning image: JAM Architects
  • Site area: 4,776sqm with three sizeable street frontages
  • Current use: Commercial car park
  • Proposed 13 and 19 storey mixed use development at 64.4m
  • 235 apartments: 146 x 1BR, 89 x 2BR
  • Six cinema complex
  • Medical centre on first floor and a two level nursing home above
  • Supermarket and retail space totalling 2,469sqm
  • 420 car parking spaces over two basement levels and 180 bicycle bays
  • Public realm upgrades along each of the Albert, Paisley and Grench Street frontages

Project features

14 Albert Street's ground level is anchored by a 1,206sqm supermarket, with 8 additional retail tenancies in tow. Dual courtyards also front Paisley Street and Albert Street.

Level 1 sees a function room, cafe, restaurant, outdoor terrace and the aforementioned cinemas ring additional car parking located through the podium. Level 2 is monopolised by 13 medical suites whilst level 3 is dedicated to ancillary aged care services.

120 aged care suites consume the following two levels, with level four including an outdoor terrace. Residential apartments follow thereafter and are supported by two expansive outdoor terraces.

Banco times three

14 Albert Street follows in the footsteps of Banco Group's first foray into the area by way of 18 Albert Street. Completed by Hacer during 2014, 18 Albert Street saw the construction of residential apartments above Footscray Plaza.

Also designed by JAM Architects, 18 Albert Street's revamp also brought a sizeable public artwork to the area, with the installation of a 240-square-metre screen on Albert Street and Pailsey Street. According to LED manufacturer Megabay, "The screen titled ‘Centricity’, is Victoria’s largest LED-programmed steel sculpture designed by Melbourne artist Matthew Harding and symbolises Footscray’s diversity."

With 14 Albert Street set to join 18 Albert Street, Banco Group via their entity Paisley Pty Ltd still have a remaining central Footscray development site in the works, likely to be the nearby Forges site which will be subject to a separate planning application.

Banco pushes further into Footscray
The revamped Footscray Plaza. Image: Hacer

14 Albert Street Footscray development team

  • Developer: Paisley Pty Ltd / Banco Group
  • Architect: JAM Architects
  • Planning: G2 Urban Planning
  • Traffic & waste Assessment: Salt 3
  • Sustainable Management Plan: Edifice
  • Landscape Plan: Rush Wright and Associates
  • Wind impact Assessment: MEL Consultants

Mark Baljak

Mark Baljak was a co-founder of Urban.com.au. He passed away on Thursday 8th of November 2018 after a battle with cancer. He was 37. Mark was a keen traveller, having visited all six permanently-inhabited continents and had a love of craft beer. One of his biggest passions was observing the change that has occurred in Melbourne over the past two decades. In that time he built an enormous library of photos, all taken by him, which tracked the progress of construction on building sites from across metropolitan Melbourne.

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