Fender Katsalidis apartment tower approved for Box Hill
A Hong Kong-linked developer has been given the green light for a mixed-use development in one of Melbourne's Major Activity Centre-nominated suburbs.
The Box Hill development at 810-812 Whitehorse Road will include three distinct towers of varying heights, 23 storeys on Elgar Road, 26 storeys on Whitehorse Road, and 32 storeys to the rear/ centre of the site, along with residential amenity and open space, four commercial storeys, retail tenancy, five basement levels, and 424 car parks and 165 bicycle spaces.
Ricardo Energy Environment and Planning prepared a planning report on behalf of Hanex Investment Ltd who own the land, with the investment firm a subsidiary of Harbour Guidance Pty Ltd, the company that currently owns Jeanswest.
Render of the proposed Box Hill development.
The group engaged renowned architects Fender Katsalidis to design the project, which the town planners say is set to critically shape the Box Hill MAC.
"It delivers a highly resolved, modern architectural development befitting of the site’s future urban context, and will enhance the public realm through landscaped forecourts and the ground level retail uses that will activate this section of Whitehorse Road, Elgar Road, and Prospect Street," Ricardo Energy Environment and Planning said in their report.
"The strategic role of Box Hill is arguably the key MAC in the Melbourne eastern suburbs, giving it a stand out role, while the site also sits within Built Form Precinct F which permits taller buildings enabling increased density."
The site is currently occupied by a three-storey commercial/office building which is occupied by Stanley & Decker, BMM Test Labs and Box Hill Super Clinic.
The surrounding land is currently occupied by mid-rise office buildings, taller mixed-use towers, and (on the opposite side of Elgar Road) post-war housing. However, there is a visible shift towards higher-density development.
There will be 368 apartments constructed within the towers, with 114 one-bedrooms, 57 one-bedroom plus study, 143 two-bedroom and 54 three-bedroom floorplans.
Commercial and retail spaces will occupy the ground floor with seperate entrance lobbies for the residential and office components of the project.
Identified as a gateway site into Box Hill, Fender Katsalidis has incorporated a layered design, with three distinct tower forms that step down to lower shoulders to the west and north.
Render of the proposed Box Hill development.
The shape of the northern and western shoulder towers has been curved to increase sight lines through the site, while articulation has been achieved through curved horizontal concrete profiles and vertical bronze banding.
The tower will comprise a light coloured off-form precast concrete panel, with clear glazing to the windows and balustrades, while the upper levels will feature glazing and concrete precast panel treatment in a light grey, coupled with metal or metal look banding elements in bronze and horizontal landscaping.
A suite of residential amenity will be on offer across the towers, with an 851 sqm outdoor terrace planned for level four, along with 1,446 sqm of seating and dining, a swimming pool, spa and gym.
A second terrace is proposed at level 24, providing a further 327 sqm of open space for residents. The group are also planning to enhance a currently under-utilised pocket park at 808 Whitehorse Road.
An array of convenient amenity surrounds the site, with the Whitehorse Road site well-connected through public transport links, including Box Hill Train Station, which is located 400-metres away, and the Box Hill Bus Interchange further east of the train station. There's also several bus routes located along Whitehorse Road and Elgar Road, while tram services operate along the Whitehorse Road corridor directly in front of the site.
Box Hill Gardens is located within 500 metres of the site, while Kingsley Gardens is within 250 metres. Box Hill Public Hospital, Epworth Eastern Private Hospital and Elgar Medical Suites are also within close proximity, as is Box Hill Lawn Bowls, Box Hill TAFE, and the suburb's Town Hall and library.
