Milbex

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For differing reasons, City of Port Phillip's planning department is currently handling two highly interesting planning applications.

37-43 Park Street continues to gain height as it cycles through the planning process, with developer Milbex hoping an additional six floors can find favour with Council. 190-192 St Kilda Road on the other hand has stamped itself as one of 2016's more astute small-scale designs owing to its busy yet engaging design.

Both intended developments were lodged for assessment during the third quarter.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image128_1.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Prospective views from 37-43 Park Street. Image: Milbex"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="387" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image128_1.jpg?itok=-U32lTtk" title="Prospective views from 37-43 Park Street. Image: Milbex" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Prospective views from 37-43 Park Street. Image: Milbex</figcaption></figure>South Melbourne's 37-43 Park Street began its planning process during 2014, with a new design submitted during mid-2015. Elenberg Fraser have remained the project's lead throughout, with the latest design iteration lodged during September.

Relative to the previously approved scheme, the current taller submission seeks the approval of an 18 level tower yielding 201 apartments, or an increase of 49 over the previous design. Additionally the tower's car spaces would expand from 81 to 120, bicycles from 132 to 164 and the overall height from 35 metres to 60 metres.

Although a reduction in ground floor retail space from 453sqm to 410sqm is envisaged, the project's renders depict an activated frontage to Park Street; something which is currently sorely missed. Ground floor will also see the elimination of car parking, with resident's amenities such as a gym, lounge and dining space installed.

Milbex has dubbed the project 39W, and it shapes as their largest residential development to date, nominally superseding the nearby Essence South Melbourne which holds 182 apartments and was completed during 2013.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image129.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Park Street activation. Image: Milbex"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="386" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image129.jpg?itok=ZFdhf-7U" title="Park Street activation. Image: Milbex" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Park Street activation. Image: Milbex</figcaption></figure>190-192 St Kilda Road on the other hand is certainly one of the smaller planning applications to be covered by Urban.com.au over the course of 2016.

A six storey mixed use development is called for, with three levels of office space amounting to 675sqm. Set above the commercial floors is a penthouse which carries 218sqm of internal space, including four bedrooms.

Designed by Peddle Thorp, 190-192 St Kilda Road also includes provisions for 22 vehicles across basement and ground levels.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image132_1.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="190-192 St Kilda Road's design flair. Planning image: Peddle Thorp"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="406" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image132_1.jpg?itok=At9aRpQJ" title="190-192 St Kilda Road's design flair. Planning image: Peddle Thorp" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>190-192 St Kilda Road's design flair. Planning image: Peddle Thorp</figcaption></figure>It is the application's ground level and exterior skin which make it a tantalising design prospect.

The ground floor cafe is the design highlight, with Peddle Thorp extending the curving interior outward. According to submitted documents, the project's brief was to emulate the project's name through form, and the result is a highly impressive street level activation.

Directly above the arcing and transparent ground level, Peddle Thorp have employed an angular mesh veil across the main commercial levels, with an eye toward distinguishing the project from others in the immediate vicinity. A green wall element will also be introduced across the building's rear.

A curving floor plate rounds out the highly meritorious application. All in all an eye-catching design.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image130.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The Arc's distinctive street level interface. Planning image: Peddle Thorp"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="294" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image130.jpg?itok=ay5cM98j" title="The Arc's distinctive street level interface. Planning image: Peddle Thorp" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The Arc's distinctive street level interface. Planning image: Peddle Thorp</figcaption></figure>
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silvermb

City of Port Phillip deal with the tall and the short of it

Long before the shadow cast by Asian-backed property developers over the Melbourne apartment market, local developers were delivering projects in a altogether typical fashion. For a variety of limiting factors it&#39;s near on impossible for the vast majority of local property developers to bust into the apartment market with grandiose projects in the vicinity of 1000 dwellings, as has been the case recently.

Rather the slow and steady increase of developments in terms of scale and complexity was the norm. In talking to Little Projects&#39; Managing Director Michael Fox recently, the discussion veered into how the now considerably sized property player began in the Melbourne market.

&quot;Why, we started with townhouses like everyone else&quot; was the reply from the head of a firm that has a rash of apartments currently in planning. This in turn prompted Urban.com.au to sift through the considerable list of Melbourne-based property players via our Project Database in an attempt to identify the next small to medium sized apartment developer ready to step up to the next level.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image9ef.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Essence at 52 Park Street, South Melbourne. Image © Elenberg Fraser"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="416" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image9ef.jpg?itok=NIHJ5l2z" title="Essence at 52 Park Street, South Melbourne. Image © Elenberg Fraser" width="580" /></a>

<figcaption>Essence at 52 Park Street, South Melbourne. Image &copy; Elenberg Fraser</figcaption>
</figure>

We suspect that next firm is Milbex. From conception in 2004 with a dual townhouse project in <a href="/developments/elwood-vic-3184">Elwood</a>, a handful of lower density projects were undertaken until their breakout project titled Essence was completed during late 2013. Now a year later the developer has taken the leap to the next level with three apartment projects of note.

<h2>The current stable</h2>

Moorabbin&#39;s Bayside Tower has commenced construction; after a brisk sales campaign, builder Hamilton &amp; Marino has advanced the build to the lower basement level. Located in Richmond, <a href="/new-apartments/richmond-vic-3121">Estelle</a> is still before City of Yarra although a decision is expected shortly given the length of time it has been at planning.

With an active website seeking registrations of interest, <a href="http://estelleapartments.com.au/">Estelle&#39;s</a> 91 apartments look set to join Bayside&#39;s 128 dwellings in due course.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image10milbex.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Clockwise sees Bayside, 39W &amp; Estelle. Images courtesy Milbex"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="619" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image10milbex.jpg?itok=_sMHkJ9c" title="Clockwise sees Bayside, 39W &amp; Estelle. Images courtesy Milbex" width="580" /></a>

<figcaption>Clockwise sees Bayside, 39W &amp; Estelle. Images courtesy Milbex</figcaption>
</figure>

Next in line is a project dubbed 39W. Currently under assessment with City of Port Phillip, 37-43 Park Street South Melbourne spans 12 levels and seeks to hold 120 apartments, ground level retail space and office space through the podium.

The existing 39 Park Street low-rise commercial complex is available for short term lease indicating demolition may not be all that far away.

<h2>When it works... it works!</h2>

Milbex look to have settled upon a successful formula as their developments increase in frequency. Elenberg Fraser&#39;s experience with the developer at Essence has led to the prolific architecture firm designing Bayside, Estelle and 39W.

Add Hamilton &amp; Marino builders into the mix for both Essence and Bayside and the trend of familiarity emerges. Not specific to Milbex, this practice is prevalent with other developers who maintain multiple projects on the go at any given time, thus streamlining the development process via a ongoing working relationship.

From the casual observers perspective Milbex is on an upward trajectory, and may well soon enough sit in the same bracket as Caydon or Pace Development Group within the Melbourne development scene. As for who will be the next small-scale developer to make the jump to the next level, there&#39;s no shortage of local developers vying for the distinction!

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