MAB to bring 600 apartments to Docklands after City of Melbourne green light NewQuay Docklands
The City of Melbourne has unanimously given the green light to a revised development application by MAB Corporation for their new Docklands precinct, NewQuay Docklands.
Adjacent to the Docklands Primary School, the signed off plans for the near one-hectare development site at 396-416 Docklands Drive, which currently serves as a commercial car park, include a mixed-use precinct with five-towers comprising commercial offices, a hotel and apartments, as well as abundant retail and hospitality at street level and a 700 sqm pocket park.
The planning application has undergone a number of amendments since its inception in 1999, with community engagement playing a crucial role in shaping the proposal.
Initially the project was approved for just over 11,000 sqm of commercial office space and no residential or hotel components, although the recent amendment reduced the office space by 3,150 sqm to make way for a 200-room hotel and 600 dwellings.
There will be 156 studios on offer, 232 one-bedroom apartments, 203 two-beds, and just nine three-bed apartments. The towers will rise from two 20-metre podiums which will feature the hotel and resident amenity such as swimming pools and barbecue spaces.
The City of Melbourne's planning team collaborated closely with MAB, resulting in positive design changes addressing previous concerns.
These changes include a 10-metre separation between towers, the removal of one tower, a reduction in maximum built-form height, revised building envelopes, a modified public park layout, and additional design principles.
Designed by ARM Architecture with Rush Wright Associates, the precinct incorporates retail and dining options within the podiums, office floor space, podium car parks, and a new 11 to 13-metre-wide pedestrian laneway connecting the school to the tram depot and New Quay Central Park.
The west podium comprises three residential towers, while the east contains two, carefully considering mirroring the existing streetscape context and character.
The development is expected to deliver between 500 and 600 residential dwellings and 20,000 sqm of commercial spaces, including the possibility of a hotel.
A key feature of the project is a 700 sqm public park at the corner of Little Docklands Drive and St Mangos Lane, positioned adjacent to Docklands Primary School.
The pocket park, a later addition to the application, will feature seating areas, a children's play zone, a café, ramp and stair access, sandstone boulders, and bike ramp facilities.
The project will unfold in four stages, with the delivery of the new park scheduled for the initial phase.
The plans were endorsed by City of Melbourne councillors, with Deputy Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece praising the application and highlighting the positive impact of the pocket park on the community.
There will be 390 car spaces provided across the development, and 700 bicycle spaces.