Melbourne & Australian Architecture Topics

Council have approved the Scot's Church development, but the applicant will have to submit new plans with the roof of the tower reduced by 4 metres to 40m and a sail thing on top cut in half.

This is very dodgy as Council's own planning officers recommended that the application be refused and it was obviously a political decision by the Councillors to the let the development go ahead. Here is what the origonal planning report from the 5th of September said:

"39. The demolition and the design of the new building have raised a number of heritage and urban design concerns. It is considered that the proposal in its current form will detract from the existing character and qualities of the area including Little Collins Street and the adjacent Heritage precinct.

40. The Little Collins Street locality currently meets Council’s strategic vision for the area, in respect to retail and business development and has in recent years been transformed into a vibrant retail and pedestrian area that is complementary to the City's larger retail core area. In addition to this, the site has not been identified by Council as a site in need of re-development to meet Council strategies for the enhancement and development of the City.

41. In summary, it is Council’s view that the scale, character and qualities of the buildings on the site and in the immediate environs meets Council's retail, building design and public domain objectives and as such adds value to the precinct and the City generally. Any replacement building must demonstrate design excellence and be respectful to the existing character of the adjoining Little Collins East Heritage Precinct to the south. The height, bulk, scale and detailed design of the proposal in its current form will be visually detrimental in its context, will dominate existing heritage buildings and will not be complementary to the established character of Little Collins Street. On this basis the proposal has not demonstrated sufficient benefit to warrant exceeding the 30 metre height limit. Additional concerns with the proposal relate to car parking.

42. Therefore it is considered that the proposal cannot be supported."

Despite this the hearing into wether or not the building should be put of the Vicotrian Heritage register hasn't happened yet (it's scheduled for the 25th of September). So if it is put on the register they will have to apply seperately to Heritage Victoria for a demolition permit which they won't get and the planning approval will become worthless.

That section of Little Collins Street is full of groovy little shops and is one of the little street precincts that is working really well. It really doesn't need this redvelopment:

"Little Collins Street. between Russell St and Russell Place has developed a ‘individual’ retail ambience over the last two or three years. The area attracts shoppers who are looking for something different from the main stream retailers. This retail concept has been carried over Russell Street to the new shops in the Hero Apartments development. It is also worth noting that several of the current businesses design and manufacture their own fashion items and/or sell the work of other local designers."

All of the local businesses that have made Little Collins Street so popular don't want this development to go ahead and fear that the area will lose it's unique personality with a large new modern building which doesn't really fit into the feel of the street.

This is horrible. Infuriating even ....

The area is incredibly sensitive and the existing buildings, which I believe includes Scots Church Hall are quite nice in their own right and deserve retention - at the very least the front 10 metres to keep the scale and feeling of the heritage streetscapes on the rest of the block.

The area is definately not suited to the blue glassy look of the proposed building at all.

This disrespect for heritage buildings is a disturbing sign - particularly as the type of buildings they are putting up are so very reminiscent of the disrespectful modern buildings of the 1950s and 60s. If only people knew how crap they will look in less than 10 years time.

What's the news on this - has this progressed??

I believe that the heritage carpark has undergone some debate and may be preserved.

I think that the project is still pending appeal, the National Trust have their hands full at the moment with proposals like this one.

The Victoria Car Park has been added to the Historic Buildings Register - you can look up the regsitration on their website. The Church will probably lodge an application to demolish one day - but they would need a pretty good reason. Alterations, even biggish ones, would probably be acceptable.

I parked in there last night and on the way out spotted a planning notice re: demolition of the heritage carpark ....