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A small town proposed for Southbank

A small town proposed for Southbank

A six-tower proposal has been submitted to Planning Minister Richard Wynne for Southbank’s largest undeveloped site at 93-119 Kavanagh St.

The two-hectare MCG-sized car park, which is located in the heart of Southbank, was purchased for a record $145 million last year by Malaysian developer PJ Development Holdings.

Designed by Cox Architecture, the $1.5 billion proposal includes four residential towers comprising 2610 apartments, a 621-room hotel and a 37-storey strata office tower.

The buildings range from 37 to 65 levels, with the tallest being a 226-metre residential tower.

The designs also place a strong emphasis on addressing community amenity, with plans for a gym, childcare centre and 3525 sqm of public open space.

The proposal also outlines plans for a two-level basement development beneath the main open space for a food court, shops and a supermarket, which will be partly covered by a raised amphitheatre garden bed.  

If approved, PJ Development Holdings reportedly expects to start work as soon as building permits are issued, which could be as soon as later this year.

Southbank Residents Group (SRG) president Tony Penna said he was pleased with the developer’s community-orientated proposal.  

“Owing to the size of this block and its central location within Southbank, there is an amazing opportunity for something really special for Southbank,” he said.

“The master plan is somewhat exciting and seems to consider many needs within our lacking community – especially open space.”

However, he said that while he was looking forward to seeing the site developed as soon as possible, he still held concerns regarding the proposal’s apartment designs.

“I have reservations about the size of the towers and the number of apartments,” he said. “The developer seems to have forgotten they are in a 100m, albeit discretionary, height limit.”

“I have not seen a single three-bedroom apartment on the plans. How can we encourage families to be part of our landscape if apartments of appropriate size are not offered?”

“Overall, it great to see that this dust-bowl might actually begin development in the not too distant future, but let there be more discussion to get it right.”

Neither PJ Development Holdings nor Cox Architecture provided comment when contacted by Southbank Local News.

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