Wesley Place

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<a href="https://www.urban.com.au/developers/charter-hall">Charter Hall</a> has announced that it has secured the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) as a tenant within its $700 million Wesley Place development, currently under construction at the eastern end of Melbourne's CBD. AFCA joins Vanguard, Telstra Super, Cbus Super and the Uniting Church in committing to <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/projects/wesley-place-130-lonsdale-street-melbourne">130 Lonsdale</a> after agreeing to occupy approximately 7,600 sqm across Skyrise Levels 24-27. 

Upon completion in 2020, 130 Lonsdale will comprise 55,000 sqm of Premium-Grade, tech-enabled office space across a 35-storey tower. The future-ready workspace is registered to pursue WELL certification and target 6-Star Green Star design, As-Built v1.1 and 5-Star NABERS ratings - aligning with the Charter Hall's vision for a precinct’ with a sustainable legacy for the future.

AFCA's 12-year lease will commence upon practical completion in July 2020, bringing the new office tower’s committed Net Lettable Area (NLA) to approximately 78%. Charter Hall has engaged <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/architects/cox-architecture">Cox Architecture</a> to lead the design of the three commercial office buildings which together form the Wesley Place precinct – 130 Lonsdale, <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/projects/140-lonsdale-street-melbourne">140 Lonsdale</a> and 150 Lonsdale. <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/builders/lendlease-building">Lendlease</a> is currently progressing construction on 130 Lonsdale and the wider site.

<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/charter_hall_-_wesley_place_-_130_londsdale_terrace_view.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="130 Lonsdale Street is currently under construction. Image: Charter Hall"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="931" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/charter_hall_-_wesley_place_-_130_londsdale_terrace_view.jpg?itok=XfgmnyzL" title="130 Lonsdale Street is currently under construction. Image: Charter Hall" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>130 Lonsdale Street is currently under construction. Image: Charter Hall</figcaption></figure>According to Charter Hall, 130 Lonsdale will house one of the largest end-of-trip facilities in Melbourne along with a wellness centre, business hub and concierge services, integrated with Wesley Place’s retail precinct. Charter Hall believes the building's sculptural tapering-form will provide a unique addition to Melbourne’s skyline, whilst The Manse building, located beneath 130 Lonsdale, will deliver a distinct heritage quality to the Premium Grade workspace.

Charter Hall says a key part of the precinct’s development will be the rejuvenation of heritage architecture, including the careful restoration of one of Melbourne’s most important collections of Neo-Gothic architecture - the Wesley Church, Caretaker’s Cottage, Manse, School House and Nicholas Hall. The centrepiece of the precinct will be the Wesley Church, one of Melbourne’s finest and earliest examples of Gothic Revival architecture, which will include intricate stained-glass window and stonework restoration, and a new slate roof.

The precinct has been designed with active an active public realm comprising a series of laneways, green spaces, and food and beverage offerings, all of which will support and enhance the existing heritage buildings. Of particular note, according to Charter Hall, will be the grounds surrounding the heritage buildings which will feature "one of only five beautifully curated green spaces in Melbourne’s CBD for the public to meet, relax and socialise, akin to Melbourne Library or Parliament Gardens."

The AFCA's commitment to 130 Lonsdale leaves only a number of Skyrise floors available for lease, complete with cascading terraces designed for outdoor team meetings, functions and social occasions. Additionally, the two-level foyer space provides a place to meet clients or host informal breakout meetings.

A summary of the two other developments which complete the balance of the Wesley Place precinct - 140 Lonsdale and 150 Lonsdale - are further discussed below;

<h2><a href="https://www.urban.com.au/projects/140-lonsdale-street-melbourne">140 Lonsdale</a></h2>

This A-Grade, technology-enabled building will provide 22,000 sqm of office space across 20 levels above the existing car park structure onsite. The 5-Star Green Star rated office building will include an outdoor terrace, direct access to Wesley Place's public realm and high-quality end-of-trip and concierge facilities. Workers will also have access to the wide-ranging amenities housed across the precinct. Cox Architecture's design links 140 Lonsdale to the Wesley Precinct whilst providing a complimentary backdrop to the heritage architecture.

Charter Hall says it is currently discussing leasing opportunities within the building with a number of potential pre-commitment tenants and expects to commence construction of the new tower in the first half of 2019.

<h2>150 Lonsdale</h2>

Already calling itself home to a number of Melbourne businesses, Charter Hall is in the early stage of planning to transform 150 Lonsdale St to a modern A-grade standard. Citing the work undertaken at its 570 Bourke Street office asset, Charter Hall says it plans to reposition 150 Lonsdale St with a new lobby, arrival experience, revitalised façade and end-of-trip facilities

Located on Lonsdale St, the building offers 28 levels of customisable, flexible floor plates and currently carries a 4.5 Star Green Star rating and is targeting a 5 Star NABERS energy rating

---------------------------------------------

The Wesley Precinct anchors Charter Hall's strong development pipeline which encompasses projects across Australia. This is highlighted in the interactive map below:

<iframe frameborder="0" height="450" src="https://www.urban.com.au/developments?developer=Charter%20Hall&amp;embeddable=map" width="100%"></iframe>

Also on the drawing board for Charter Hall is a significant commercial development spanning 55 King Street and 555 Collins Street after the developer acquired the site at the end of October.

According to Charter Hall, it plans to "deliver a modern office tower that will enrich the precinct and community... the Charter Hall team is progressing key design and development appointments, with further news to be announced in 2019."

<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/555_collins_carousel2.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Indicative concept for 555 Collins Street. Image: Charter Hall"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="319" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/555_collins_carousel2.jpg?itok=skc_XXGb" title="Indicative concept for 555 Collins Street. Image: Charter Hall" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Indicative concept for 555 Collins Street. Image: Charter Hall</figcaption></figure><h2>What they say...</h2>

<blockquote>
AFCA is a new organisation providing consumers and small business owners with fair, free and independent solutions to their financial disputes. Our new premises at Wesley Place will enable our Melbourne staff to deliver a high quality and flexible service. We are very excited about this move and value our relationship with Charter Hall. We believe the Wesley Place development will be a great one for our customers, members and our people.

- David Locke, CEO and Chief Ombudsman of AFCA
</blockquote>

 

<blockquote>
Welcoming AFCA to the Wesley Place development is a great milestone and demonstrates the strong leasing momentum we have been able to create with approximately 78% of the asset secured. Upon completion, Wesley Place will further enhance CPOF’s portfolio quality and total return metrics and deliver our Fund Investors a coveted new Premium Grade office building in the tightly held Melbourne CBD core office precinct.

This new lease demonstrates our approach to securing significant tenant pre-commitments to de-risk the approximately $1.3 billion of committed projects that we have underway nationally within our office funds management platform. The depth of our internal development capabilities, with experienced teams based in each major capital city means that we are able to collaborate with our tenant customers to deliver great workspace experiences as well as create institutional quality investment opportunities in the office sector.

- Matthew Brown, CPOF Fund Manager
</blockquote>

 

<blockquote>
Our working and social lives are increasingly intertwined. That’s why we’re creating forward thinking workspaces, that are smart, agile and offer a diverse destination where both businesses and the wider public can use and enjoy the space. 130 Lonsdale Street continues to offer opportunities to new customers to join major corporates AFCA, Vanguard, Telstra Super and CBUS in this location, with the ability to secure the best skyrise space available, four floors of which boast outdoor terrace areas.

The common link across all buildings is the future-proofed technology throughout the precinct for workforces now and into the future. We are delivering laptop-enabled green spaces, customised precinct apps and modern property technologies within the buildings that will keep tenants connected and ahead of the curve.

Wesley Place is one of Melbourne’s earliest settlements dating back to the 1800s. It is therefore immensely important for us to ensure any of the plans we have for the commercial office spaces seamlessly blend with the heritage buildings on site.

We’re incredibly proud to be working with Lovell Chen and Heritage Victoria on this major piece of heritage development for the City of Melbourne, so that the local congregation, community groups and future generations can continue to use the space as a community meeting point.

Wesley Place is set to be the next, quintessential Melbourne destination. Food, beverage, and convenience offerings will ignite the surrounding Melbourne shopping district, catering to the needs of the busy yet savvy workforce within and general public.

As developers and long-term managers of this significant project, we have a longstanding commitment to seeing the precinct come to life. Our partnership with the site’s owners, the Uniting Church, is key to realising the best outcomes for all involved.

- Charter Hall’s Regional Development Director, Simon Stockfeld
</blockquote>
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Laurence Dragomir

Charter Hall secures another tenant at its Wesley Place precinct

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In recent weeks Lendlease signage has emerged across the site of Charter Hall's $600 million Wesley Place project at 130 Lonsdale Street. Ground works signify that official construction is underway on the premium grade office tower, post the completion of demolition.

According to the <a href="http://www.afr.com/real-estate/charter-hall-gets-going-on-600m-wesley-place-20171107-gzgsn7">AFR</a>, Charter Hall is pushing ahead with the development after securing pre-commitments within the 33-storey, COX Architecture-designed tower. Super funds Cbus and Telstra Super have elected to occupy the tower, as has investment services firm Vanguard.

The commitments account for approximately 30,000sqm within the 55,000sqm tower.

<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/wesley-130-lonsdale-2.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Construction of Wesley Place Stage 1 is about to get into full swing. Image: COX Architecture"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="435" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/wesley-130-lonsdale-2.jpg?itok=0FdkfHUD" title="Construction of Wesley Place Stage 1 is about to get into full swing. Image: COX Architecture" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Wesley Place will make an impact on the CBD's east end. Image: COX Architecture</figcaption></figure>Charter Hall will also accommodate the Uniting Church onsite as part of the original deal to develop the church-owned land via a 125-year leasehold deal. Signage onsite has the exceptionally wide tower which spans Lonsdale Street to Little Lonsdale Street aiming for a completion date during 2019.

130 Lonsdale Street forms Stage One of Wesley Place, as Charter Hall pushes a second tower through planning that will effectively bookend the massive site.

<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/img_2567bb.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Wesley Place's initial tower is now under construction"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="387" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/img_2567bb.jpg?itok=YE6vrKzi" title="Wesley Place's initial tower is now under construction" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Wesley Place's initial tower is now under construction</figcaption></figure>Earlier this week City of Melbourne's Future Melbourne (Planning) Committee was urged to provide conditional support to Wesley Place's second stage at 150 Lonsdale Street. 

The site is located to the rear of an existing commercial 29-storey tower fronting Lonsdale Street, and is currently occupied by a multi-storey car park with dominant frontage to Little Lonsdale Street. The car park will be partially demolished to allow for construction of the 23-storey tower's core whilst the tower itself will sit atop the existing structure.

The proposal which has also been designed by COX Architecture presents in a similar architectural language to the first stage.

150 Lonsdale Street would rise to an overall height of 80m above street level and has a floor area ratio of 22.77:1, which exceeds the recommended 18:1 plot ratio. The proposed floor area uplift is supported by the delivery of commercial office space as the public benefit.

<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/wesley_leas.png" rel="gallery-all" title="Stage 2 of Wesley Place at 130 Lonsdale Street. Planning Image: COX Architecture"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="808" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/wesley_leas.png?itok=OZoiy4WV" title="Stage 2 of Wesley Place at 130 Lonsdale Street. Planning Image: COX Architecture" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Stage Two of Wesley Place at 150 Lonsdale Street. Planning Image: COX Architecture</figcaption></figure>The design has changed from earlier renders which depicted a similar curving form to the larger tower. Now a more rectilinear built form has been employed with a series of glazed blocks bisected by rebates which appear as visual cues to crucifixes, providing a subtle reference to the site's history and custodians.

The City of Melbourne's Urban Design team raised a number of issues with the application, including retention of car parking above ground, location of services and activation of Hayward Lane, while ensuring "the architectural expression of the building presents a clear and integrated design intent, with an emphasis on the design and detail of the podium."

<blockquote>
Acknowledging commerciality and timing of project, retention of the carpark impacts potential to contribute positive and active interfaces. While adaptive re-use in the city is generally supported, it’s recommended that the proposal excludes above ground parking and adapt the floorplates to other uses, or demolish the existing carpark. 

- City of Melbourne's Urban Design Team
</blockquote>

Approval from Planning Minister Richard Wynne would ultimately pave the way for the realisation of the full master plan for the site as illustrated below:

<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/wesley_place_stage_2_master_plan.png" rel="gallery-all" title="Wesley Place Master Plan. Planning Image: COX Architecture"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="393" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/wesley_place_stage_2_master_plan.png?itok=3eWCxlyq" title="Wesley Place Master Plan. Planning Image: COX Architecture" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Wesley Place Master Plan. Planning Image: COX Architecture</figcaption></figure><h2>150 Lonsdale Street At a Glance</h2>

<ul>
<li>Office NLA : 16,020 sqm</li>
	<li>Ground level retail NLA : 300 sqm</li>
	<li>Building height : 79.97m 22-storeys + plant (88m to plant)</li>
	<li>Podium height 29.27m existing 9-storey carpark.</li>
	<li>Plot ratio: 22.77:1</li>
	<li>Car parking spaces : 395 spaces (reduced from 643)</li>
	<li>Bicycle facilities and spaces:  122 spaces; 22 visitor spaces at ground level, 100 employee spaces</li>
</ul>
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