Council frees up car spaces for QVM amid federal heritage review

While the construction of Lendlease’s Gurrowa Place remains on hold pending the outcome of a federal heritage review, the City of Melbourne will free up more car spaces at Queen Victoria Market (QVM). 

The council recently began construction on temporary storage facilities in the open-air car park to allow for the Franklin Street Stores to be vacated for Lendlease to start works, which were approved by the Minister for Planning Sonya Kilkenny in August. 

However, following a self-referral to the federal government by Lendlease, the development has been declared a controlled action under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.

CBD News understands that works will not commence on Gurrowa Place while Lendlease works through the determination, a process which may take 12 months. 

The council has decided to remove the temporary storage facilities to return more parking spaces in the open-air carpark, with the works expected to be completed in early October.

Lord Mayor Nick Reece said that more than 200 carparks would be unlocked for shoppers, allowing the council to focus on delivering other major renewal projects, including the new Trader Shed and the transformation of Franklin St.

“Throughout the renewal of Queen Victoria Market, we’re always adapting our work schedule to minimise disruption to customers and support our traders,” he said.

“We appreciate the patience of shoppers and traders while we work to transform the precinct and bring in thousands of new visitors, which will ultimately boost business for traders and improve the market experience.”

Lendlease’s reimagined Franklin Street Stores will see the southern rows of the original 1930s stores survive and transformed into a new retail village.

The stores will be conserved and will benefit from extensive repair and conservation works and adaptation for new uses, through a “soft strip” of modern fittings and fixtures and repairing the brickwork and cladding. 

As a part of the development, there will be temporary removal of portions of the south and east canopy for construction and permanent removal of a portion of the south canopy. 

The portions that are to be temporarily removed will be reinstated after the completion of other buildings within the Gurrowa Place development. 

As a part of Lendlease’s redevelopment of the QVM precinct a 29-level commercial office tower, a 47-storey apartment block that includes 81 affordable homes and a 53-storey student accommodation building managed by Scape will all be built. 

The project will also include a 1.8-hectare public park to be known as Market Square, which will replace QVM’s current open-air car park. •