CBRE City Sales

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Long at planning, 478-488 Elizabeth Street has come away from the approvals process with a permit.

Earlier this month the final stamp of approval was granted for the project, after a stint at VCAT which resulted in the appeals body issuing an order to approve the development during late August. The final result sees an Elenberg Fraser-designed tower in excess of 60 levels permitted on site consisting of apartments, a hotel component and retail tenancies at ground level. 

478-488 Elizabeth Street slots in between the completed 226 metre Vision Apartments and the under construction Victoria One at 241 metres, and would further intensify the emerging 'wall' of skyscrapers that have created a new backdrop around Queen Victoria Market.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image2478.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The site's initial vision and CBRE City Sale's now sold outcome"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="392" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image2478.jpg?itok=tLdO-Ajz" title="The site's initial vision and CBRE City Sale's now sold outcome" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The site's initial vision and CBRE City Sale's now sold outcome</figcaption></figure>The project was refused by Planning Minister Richard Wynne during February of this year, with a visit to VCAT ensuing.

478-488 Elizabeth Street's tilt at approval took an unusual turn during the planning process, seeing CBRE City Sales appointed by then developer L1-2013 Pty Ltd to sell the site subject to attaining a permit. An International Expressions of Interest campaign was held some months ago.

CBRE City Sales have now completed the sale of the 1,172sqm site, with the new owner picking up the right to develop the mixed-use tower. 

So while the new owner of the Elizabeth Street site takes the chocolates, it seems that RJ International (Aust) Pty Ltd's bid to redevelop Southbank's Tea House complex is more a case of boiled lollies. Earlier this month the application, which Apartments.com.au <a href="/news/tea-for-two-southbanks-historic-tea-house-up-for-a-towering-addition">first brought to light</a>, was moved from the State planning register to that of Council's.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image35_8_0.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="28 Clarendon Street will not receive a tower of this size as orignally planned"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="330" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image35_8_0.jpg?itok=zkHz0OMS" title="28 Clarendon Street will not receive a tower of this size as orignally planned" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>28 Clarendon Street will not receive a tower of this size as orignally planned</figcaption></figure>This implies that the initial 39 level submission at 145 metres and with a GFA of 35,035sqm has shrunk considerably. Below the 25,000sqm mark, City of Melbourne becomes the responsible authority.

An amended application has indeed been noted during the approvals process.

Geelong-based architecture firm CLWA and heritage architects Lovell Chen conceived the originally submitted design, incorporating 312 hotel suites, 38 supersized apartments, various amenities and an internally reworked Tea House which would compliment the tower's intended use.

What the new plans for the 2,948sqm site entail remains to be seen.
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silvermb

Elizabeth Street wins approval, Clarendon Street goes back to the drawing board

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As one of the city's last applications judged under previous planning regulations, the chronology of 478-488 Elizabeth Street makes for interesting reading and perhaps points to the convoluted transitional process between old and new planning laws.

At the peak of the Asian-backed development wave sweeping Melbourne during 2015, entity L1-2013 Pty Ltd lodged plans for 478-488 Elizabeth Street. The 1,168 square metre site is wedged between two of Melbourne most recent additions, namely the 226 metre Vision Apartments and Victoria One at 241 metres.

At 68 levels, 478-488 Elizabeth Street would have included 383 apartments, 198 hotel suites and cafe/retail spaces at ground level, set within a 208 metre Elenberg Fraser-designed tower.

During their assessment of the merits of the application, Melbourne City Council planners found numerous shortcomings with the design, citing lack of setbacks as a key sticking point.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image59_1_1.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="An early project perspective provides context. Planning image: Elenberg Fraser"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="799" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image59_1_1.jpg?itok=t0xDxfyZ" title="An early project perspective provides context. Planning image: Elenberg Fraser" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>An early project perspective provides context. Planning image: Elenberg Fraser</figcaption></figure>Refused by Planning Minister Richard Wynne during February of this year, 478-488 Elizabeth Street's fate took an unusual turn with the site being listed with CBRE City Sales after the minister's refusal. The site was offered for sale subject to attaining a permit via International Expressions of Interest campaign which closed last week.

This was of course after officially being rejected.

Nonetheless the team behind the proposed mixed-use tower now look set to have their time before VCAT in the hope of gaining the green light for the tower. CBRE City Sales in their recent campaign cited the project at 62 levels; the resultant loss of a number of levels would have likely seen the project's internals numbers reworked.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image81.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The site. Image: CBRE City Sales"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="404" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image81.jpg?itok=L7BzAR4W" title="The site. Image: CBRE City Sales" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The site. Image: CBRE City Sales</figcaption></figure>478-488 Elizabeth Street is one of two projects of considerable height still in the race to call the northern stretch of Elizabeth Street home. According to the State Government's online planning platform, 441-447 Elizabeth Street is also <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://lodgement.planning-permits.delwp.vic.gov.au/public/detail/68">still under assessment</a>, having initially been lodged during 2014.

478-488 Elizabeth Street's struggles through planning comes at a time when a similarly sized approved skyscraper just metres away from Elizabeth Street has been offered for sale. <a href="https://www.cbremelbourne.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/CBRE_111ABeckettStreetMelbourneCBD_6pp_webfinal.pdf">Paradigm</a> at 111 A'Beckett Street is also in the hands of CBRE City Sales, with the eventual buyer attaining the right to develop 632 apartments across 64 levels.

As an interesting side note Lord Major Robert Doyle has been a vocal advocate for a <a href="http://architectureau.com/articles/tower-to-overlook-melbournes-queen-victoria-market/">skyscraper on the Munro site</a> which in also in close proximity to Elizabeth Street.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image82_1.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="A current render for 478-488 Elizabeth Street. Image: CBRE City Sales"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="777" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image82_1.jpg?itok=JwlMIlcr" title="A current render for 478-488 Elizabeth Street. Image: CBRE City Sales" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>A current render for 478-488 Elizabeth Street. Image: CBRE City Sales</figcaption></figure>
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