Evolving Port

Port Melbourne and Fishermans Bend change. Houses are changed or demolished and new forms of housing take their place. Port Houses records some of these changes.

30 November 2024

15 - 85 Gladstone St, Montague

28 November 2024

The Gladstone is formally opened.

The Gladstone from Kirrip Park, November 2024

August 2023

The project is underway.

Greystar's BTR project from Kirrip Park, August 2023

June 2022

Greystar has appointed ICON to build this $500m project.

The build-to-rent project will include 700 apartments across three towers plus 850sq m of retail space.

The architects are Scott Carver.  

View Scott Carver's project page for 15 - 85 Gladstone St.

Site preparation is underway by Delta.

site preparation, viewed from Kerr St, June 2022

March 2021

Greystar acquired the property from Chip Eng Seng subsidiary CEL Australia for $65 million. 

May 2020

CEL Australia has suspended marketing for Fifteen85 until 2021 in response to weakened property market conditions attendant on the corona virus pandemic. (source: Financial Review 28 May 2020)
 
23 June 2018

15 - 85 Gladstone St, Montague

Launch party for Tower 1, Fifteen85. A heavy emphasis on dogs - canine wellbeing, dog minding, dog grooming.

For people, there were crepes, hot dogs and fair trade coffee.

The burger people had reportedly crashed into the Montague Bridge.


Launch party for Fifteeen85, (Gladstone St), June 2018

June 2018

Fifteen85 


A sales office has opened on site with Tower 1 (of 3) to launch on 23 June. Elenberg Fraser are now the architects and the development is branded as Fifteen85. It has a new address 85 Gladstone Street.

The final approval was for three towers, rather than the four originally approved.

Tower 1 is the western most of the 3 towers and will contain 222 apartments. The podium level will be ' laden with greenery'.

The developer is CEL Australia.






December 2017

The site was sold by Colliers International on 4 December 2017. Among the attributes of the site, Colliers listed

  • Enormous site area of 9,356sqm
  • Three extensive street frontages
  • Flexible Capital City Zone 1
  • Recently approved permit allowing for a landmark, mixed use project designed by world renowned Fender Katsalidis
  • Directly adjacent to the new South Melbourne Park Primary School, and newly designated park

August 2017

An amended permit was subsequently issued on 29 August 2017

21 June 2016


Kerr St frontage of the development site 15 - 85 Gladstone St, June 2016


Amended plans for the site were considered by the City of Port Phillip. While the Council had no issue with changing the architect to Fender Katsalidis, the Council advised DEWLP that it did not support changes which included

  • reduced tower separation distances
  • reduced setbacks to Kerr and Buckhurst Sts
  • increasing the heights of towers 2 and 3 to 30 levels so that all four towers will be the same height

November 2014

On 29 November, a Labor government was elected with Daniel Andrews as Premier. Richard Wynne became the planning minister.

September 2014

Ministerial permit 2013/005499 was issued on 1 September 2014. The permit provides for a north-south link through the site, consistent podium heights and a reduction in height for the towers to 30 storeys.

4 June 2013

Marc Pallisco, the Age, reported on Saturday 1 June that Carlins has lodged an application for a staged development of 4 towers, the tallest of which will be 38 storeys, for their massive site on Buckhurst St.

The proposed development includes 1,023 apartments.

The application, lodged on 27 May 2013, is listed on the Minister's Planning Permit register with scant further information at this time.

The site is large, 9,356 sqm and Buckhurst St is very wide. In the City of Port Phillip's plan for the suburb, Buckhurst was envisaged as the main street and community heart of Montague.

A different future to that imagined by Port Phillip is now unfolding, but at this time there is no clarity as to how such large developments will deliver any community benefit.
carlins-2
The Buckhurst St frontage, June 2013

corner Kerr x Buckhurst Sts, Montague
 corner Kerr x Buckhurst Sts, Montague 2013


1 June 2013

Kerr St frontage of development site 15 - 85 Gladstone St, June 2013

November 1989

The site was sold by private treaty for $453.499k. (source: Domain property report)

22 November 2024

103 Beach St, Port Melbourne

formerly The Beacon Cove Foodstore

November 2024

103 Beach St, Port Melbourne 22 November 2024


December 2023

103 Beach St status update December 2023

March 2023

Construction underway at 103 Beach St. 

piling at 103 Beach St, March 2023

December 2022

Agreement was reached between the developer, City of Port Phillip (Council) and other parties at a VCAT compulsory conference last week.

The development has been approved without the sixth level (a roof terrace), and with levels 3 and 4 shifted east by 0.5m and no western terrace on level 3.

November 2022

The developer has decided to appeal the City of Port Phillip’s approval granted on 28 July 2022.

The developer is contesting many of the conditions Council attached to the planning approval and suggesting amendments to others. The conditions being contested include:

  • A requirement for design methods to slow the speed of cyclists.
  • The setbacks of a minimum of five metres from the eastern and western boundaries for levels 3 and 4.
  • The requirement to provide a second entrance to the supermarket on the southern side.
  • The deletion of the sixth level (a roof terrace) and lowering of the height of the building.
  • The requirement that the entrance to the apartments be from Beach Street.
  • Design of basement ramp in relation to on-site waste collection.
VCAT has scheduled a compulsory conference for 7 December 2022 and a Hearing in March 2023.

September 2022

Demolition of the building was undertaken by MANN Group, and completed on 3 September.

Demolition by MANN Group, September 2022

July 2022

At the Port Phillip Council planning meeting on 28 July, the officer recommendation was to approve the application for an amendment to the already approved permit.

Cr Cunsolo moved that the amendment be refused. She was supported by fellow Gateway Ward councillors Marcus Pearl and Peter Martin but the motion was defeated.

She then proposed a second motion to delete the roof terraces, as follows: 

"Delete the roof terraces and associated stair access from top level units, delete central stair to roof, and minimise lift overrun, the highest parapet reduced to RL 22.5 around plant equipment in the centre of the roof. A roof access hatch to access services is allowed." (condition ii)

That change was supported and passed. 

It is unclear at this time what the response of the developer, Luxcon, will be. 

Mirvac's support for a variation to the covenant in place is also required. 

(refer to Port Phillip Planning Committee unconfirmed minutes 28 July 2022)

March 2022

Luxcon have applied for an amendment to their planning permit. The amendment proposes an increase from 12 to 22 residential units, the addition of another storey to 5 levels,  and to 794 sq m of retail space and the reorientation of the pedestrian entrance.

The number of car parking spaces would increase from 30 to 51 and bicycle spaces from 24 to 46.

The City of Port Phillip is assessing the amendment application. 

October 2021

103 Beach St, October 2021

Branding for Pier 103 Waterfront Residences wraps around the former Beacon Cove foodstore.

September 2021

A hoarding has been placed around the building while the developer prepares revised plans to put to Port Phillip Council. Carr architects have been engaged to prepare the revised design. 

The hoarding has since been defaced with anti-vaccination, anti-lockdown graffiti.

103 Beach St, September 2021

July 2021

The site has been purchased by Sydney-based developer Ilya Melnikoff for $16.65 million. This will be only their second project in Melbourne - the first being in Albert St, East Melbourne.

The 1400 sq m site was acquired from Melbourne developer V-Leader, which paid $11.2 million for it in 2017.

The development will be re-branded as Pier 103 Waterfront Residences. 

April 2020

The last trading day for the IGA Beacon Cove Foodstore was 3 April 2020.

Beacon Cove Foodstore, April 2020
November 2019

VCAT issued  planning permit 673/2015 on 6 February 2017. The permit allowed for the construction of a three storey building containing a supermarket and restaurant at ground level and 14 dwellings above and a reduction of the car parking and loading bay requirements.

An amendment to that permit was sought. It proposed the addition of an extra storey to create a four storey (15.1m high) building, the reduction of the number of dwellings (from 14 to 12), rearrangement of the basement car park, modify car parking (including car parking to the north of the site) and reduce the clearance height of the building above the shared path on the eastern side of the site and internal changes.

The City of Port Phillip supported the amendment and a permit with conditions was issued. (see City of Port Phillip planning report 27 November 2019)

The architects for the amended design are  Wood Marsh Architecture, responsible for nearby MINTAlumuna and Beacon. Wood Marsh has its offices in the ground floor of the Beacon building on Beach St.

1 April 2015

The site was purchased for $11 million by Key Infrastructure Australia in December 2014. They plan to demolish it and replace it with a three level 15 unit project.  

The Beacon Cove Foodstore in 2015

2010

Bernard Mandile and the Beacon Cove Foodstore were one and the same. Bernard had Villagio  Delicatessen in Albert Park before being encouraged to be an anchor tenant in emerging Beacon Cove.

Bernard Mandile outside the Beacon Cove Foodstore, December 2010


1990s

The Beacon Cove Foodstore under construction c1994 photo Ron Cassano