Redevelopment continues at pace within City North

Redevelopment continues at pace within City North
Mark BaljakFebruary 16, 2016

Developers continue to see the appeal of landing their projects directly north of Melbourne's CBD. Following the 2012 City North Structure Plan which paved the way for intense redevelopment surrounding the Elizabeth Street/Flemington Road spine bounded by Carlton and North Melbourne, there's been a steady flow of projects with more set to follow.

Put quite simply, "City North displays strong characteristics of a Central City environment, with a diverse mix of uses, including well-established industrial, commercial, retail and residential uses dispersed throughout the area, alongside major health, education and research institutions."

Considered underutilised land and in close proximity to the CBD, the clarity provided by the City North Structure Plan has for increased development in the area over recent years. The Urban.com.au Project Database is currently keeping tabs on 15 active projects within the immediate vicinity of Elizabeth Street and Flemington Road.

The two most recent projects to reach planning and in turn the Urban.com.au Project Database are:

684-688 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne

Redevelopment continues at pace within City North
Design generators and result. Image courtesy SJB

Developer LBP Group Holdings is looking to continue the Elizabeth Street drift toward redevelopment with a $30 million apartment proposal spanning 19 levels. Designed by SJB Architects, 684-688 Elizabeth Street would contain 120 one, tow and three apartments above four basement levels and a ground floor retail tenancy.

Abutting PDG Corporation's under construction Royal Elizabeth, the SJB Architects design will incorporate a high degree of timber over the exterior, in addition to retractable screens.

The existing buildings onsite were afforded a C grade ranking according to a 2013 heritage review, although are not listed as graded heritage buildings. Existing street level facades would be retained and restored with the remainder of the existing buildings to be demolished for the development.

15-17 Felmington Road, North Melbourne

Redevelopment continues at pace within City North
Haymarket Roundabout perspective. Image courtesy Jomo + designhaus

The long expected redevelopment of RMIT Village has landed with Centurion Pty Ltd seeking an expansion for part of the sprawling complex. Hobart duo Jones Moore Architecture and Architects Designhaus have conceived the design which would add to the already strong level of student accommodation beds in the Melbourne development pipeline.

Given the current site circumstance, and statutory development overlay, there is an opportunity to to intensify the corner of Flemington Road and Blackwood Street by replacing an existing low-quality, underutilised 2 storey building with a mid-rise twelve storey building.

Urban Context Report

Approximately one third of RMIT Village is subject to this planning application with an additional 147 student beds across two buildings in mind, allowing for an overall total of 603 student beds. The existing Building A fronting Flemington Road will receive an additional two levels while Building B as a completely new build will accommodate the majority of new dwellings.

A blue, white and grey hexagonal pattern will be the main design feature to Flemington Road.

Redevelopment continues at pace within City North
Blackwood Street perspective. Image courtesy Jomo + designhaus

City North under construction

The two intended projects above would only serve to bolster the already healthy amount of construction underway within the City North Precinct. Valued in the billions, the level of construction activity is underpinned by the near complete Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre in addition to five substantial apartment projects.

Brookfield Multiplex have just commenced construction on ANMF's new 16,820sqm mixed use facility at 529 Elizabeth Street while The Principal at 69 Flemington Road has sold strongly, in turn positioning itself as the next residential project to head toward construction.

Perhaps the most awaited project is Metier 3's pending project adjacent to the Haymarket Roundabout. In unison with Fortius, the design practice is expected to create a landmark project at 1 Flemington Road and 245 Peel Street.

Redevelopment continues at pace within City North
Projects fronting Flemington and Elizabeth Streets

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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