R&F Property Australia's first Melbourne project enters the starting gates
The long-dormant Kinnears site fronting Ballarat Road is all but ready to begin its transformation into one of Footscray's largest apartment-driven urban renewal projects.
An onsite display suite that will cater for the multiple towers to be developed over the life of the project is now complete, and ready to be swung into action once developer R&F Property Australia launches the first phase of the project. And Kinnears' first stage looks to be a 15 level apartment tower at the eastern end of the sprawling site.
Kinnears which is addressed 124-188 Ballarat Road is R&F Property Australia's first major development in Melbourne.
Kinnears' rebirth first came to prominence during late 2015, with Elenberg Fraser enlisted by the developer to create a new masterplanned residential enclave. In doing so, limited demolition and adaptation of existing heritage buildings spread over the site has been worked into the overall masterplan, which also includes provisions for 1,400 plus new dwellings.
The display suite model depicting the entire project is very much in line with the 2015 site plan, and sees a number of new north-south pedestrian and vehicle links dividing the site.
Information within the display also elaborates on the project's public features. Shops and a supermarket will be set around a plaza, with communal facilities such as a childcare centre, kindergarden, maternal and child health centre also in the mix. Offices, a gym and further medical-based spaces add the the development's mixed-use nature.
R&F Property Australia, part of Guangzhou-based R&F Properties, has been trying to gain a foothold in Melbourne for some years.
At one stage the developer was primed to secure Fishermans Bend's 60-82 Johnson Street, but that deal failed to materialise, with local developer Salvo Property Group subsequently securing the approved site. R&F Property Australia's next move was for Kinnears, successfully acquiring the site from AXF Group for $60 million during 2014, with development plans already in motion at that stage.
Based in Melbourne, R&F Property Australia's first successful move on the national development scene was in Brisbane. Dubbed Brisbane 1, the project sees 600 plus apartments in development over multiple buildings on a 4,661sqm plot in South Brisbane.
With the imminent launch of Kinnears, R&F Property Australia also now has a Melbourne-based apartment project that will be rolled out in stages over coming years. Imagery for subsequent stages of the Kinnears development can be seen here.
