Giancorp refine their Moonee Ponds intentions

Giancorp refine their Moonee Ponds intentions
Mark BaljakJuly 19, 2017

Giancorp Property Group is looking to rework their Moonee Ponds mixed-use development, refining the previously approved scheme with the help of Buchan Group as project architect.

Located in a burgeoning development precinct immediately south of Puckle Street, 17-23 Puckle Street and 6-14 Young Street will see two separate buildings developed, with the taller spanning 16 levels. Whilst it will be dedicated predominantly toward apartment living, the smaller building fronting Puckle Street will include a 10 screen indoor/outdoor cinema.

The Young Street building sees a significant fall in apartments numbers from 183 to 151, reflecting the shift toward larger apartments. Single bedroom apartments have declined from 142 to 50 under the resubmitted scheme.

Moonee Valley City Council initially approved Giancorp Property Group's plans for the site during 2014. 

17-23 Puckle Street, Moonee Ponds application details

Giancorp refine their Moonee Ponds intentions
Artist's impression of the sceme in context. Planning image: Buchan Group
  • Total site area: 2,172sqm
  • Proposed 16 level building at 56.3m + 5 level building to Puckle Street
  • 151 apartments: 50 x 1BR, 92 x 2BR, 9 x 3BR
  • 240 car parking bays and 46 bicycle bays across 2 basement levels plus podium levels
  • New cinema complex includes 710 seats: 10 cinemas including an outdoor cinema
  • Ground floor retail: 1,624sqm across 8 tenancies
  • Single commercial tenancy: 1,086sqm
  • Amenities: Garden terrace, pool, gym, lounge

Ground plane activation

The block immediately south of Puckle Street on which the intended development is sited is perforated by four separate laneways. Under the revised plans Penny Lane will be heavily activated to a point where it mirrors many of the CBD's laneways.

Indicative renders shows an expanded bluestone laneway giving way to a paved area, with its entire span dedicated solely to alfresco dining and pedestrian use. A pergola shrouded in greenery over Penny Lane will link both buildings.

8 separate retails tenancies line Penny Lane and a new through passage linking Young Street and Puckle Street. Two cafes, a restaurant, four smaller retail tenancies and one large-size retail space spanning 753sqm constitute the substantial retail offerings planned.

Giancorp refine their Moonee Ponds intentions
Artist's impression of what the ground plane may look like. Planning image: Buchan Group

Adding punch behind Puckle

Giancorp's development is to be flanked by major residential builds, should three current planning applications receive the green light. Combined they have the ability to add 351 new apartments directly behind the retail spine of Moonee Ponds that is Puckle Street.

31-43 Puckle Street is subject to a residential design to 10 storeys which involves 84 apartments. Also included in the Interlandi Mantesso Architects scheme are 9 retail tenancies across 1,388.7sqm lining a new arcade linking Puckle Street with St Aidans Lane and Penny Lane.

To the east of Giancorp's reworked development is Growland's 343-349 Ascot Vale Road. Currently noted as at appeal, it could provide this expanding pocket of Moonee Ponds with a further 116 apartments and 2 retail tenancies.

Puckle Street has in recent times struggled to maintain a buoyant retail leasing market, and now faces the prospect of a further 19 retail tenancies entering the mix across these three projects.

Giancorp refine their Moonee Ponds intentions
Adjoining projects also at planning. Images: Interlandi Mantesso & KUD

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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