Planning Application > 123-125 Montague St, South Melbourne
Here's the first planning application Urban.com.au will look at emanating from Fishermans Bend, in what will seemingly become a steady flow of applications from the area. 123-125 Montague St South Melbourne is located within the Montague sub-precinct, accordingly project architect Peddle Thorp have taken into account the Montague Precinct Structure Plan prepared by the City of Port Phillip even though the State government will be the deciding body.
Prepared for developer Austpac Group, the planning application consists of three towers above a five level common podium and one basement level. Catering for 746 vehicles, the carpark podium is hidden from view by an activated wrap to three street frontages consisting of apartments and office spaces convertible to residential use if required. 705 apartments in total are proposed with the taller tower standing at 36 levels and 111.5m to roof or 116m to maximum height, a crown involving angular solar panels. Both lesser towers are 28 levels and 87.5m to roof, or 92m to feature. Facilities available in the podium included a gymnasium, pool, business centre, barbeque area and extensive landscaping.
Heavy with blue glazing the complex does carry some typical Peddle Thorp traits particularly through the podium, defined by its shallow box features. Varied elements such as Ironbark timber cladding, Rheinzink cladding, folded aluminium panels and industrial framed glazing feature heavily over the podium in order to break the buildings form at street level and provide points of interest.
Images above and below show a heavily activated streetscape. An anchor supermarket of 1752sqm will be surrounded by 14 retail spaces and two cafes. Future adjoining development sites have been considered with Ann St that currently runs north-south through the development site removed, in its place a public thoroughfare. This thoroughfare will provide a pedestrian link between Rosherville Place / Buckhurst St to the north and Thistlethwaite St / Akling Alley to the south. No doubt both architect and developer envisage this thoroughfare as being key to funnelling foot traffic in from surrounding areas to service the large number of retail spaces at ground level throughout the complex.
Thistlethwaite St will be rebirthed as "A shared space zone prioritising pedestrian and bicycle movements over vehicle traffic." Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles are included, with strategic lighting and increased street activity designed make the area safer for users. Further the Montague Precinct Structure Plan shows Thistlethwaite St to be a Green Street Corridor. 123-125 Montague Street will attempt to adhere to the Green Street Corridor principles by harnessing:
- capture and treatment of rainwater from podium and street level to reuse on site with excess possibly used for toilet flushing
- 40km speed limit & lessened on-street parking
- heavy tree planting and seamless level streetscape - no kerbs
- paving to replace asphalt
- integrating bike lanes to within shared space zones
- an urban art program
Submitted for assessment during February, it's a fair assumption 123-125 Montague St is still some time off a planning decision. Given such extensive detail has been directed to street level interaction and activation, one hopes this to be a sign that all future submitted planning applications for Fishermans Bend adhere to the streetscape policies as laid out by the Montague Precinct Structure Plan. If this occurs, Fishermans Bend will go a long way to avoiding some of the disjointed urban outcomes that have occurred in Docklands.
All images above © Peddle Thorp Architects
