Residents concerned over eight-storey office proposal in Exploration Lane

CBD residents have voiced concern over a proposed eight-storey development, warning that they were not consulted and that the project risks undermining the character and liveability of one of Melbourne’s most historically significant precincts.

The development is planned for 9-11 Exploration Lane, where a 34-storey “Slender Tower” hotel project was once approved. However, the current developer, Exploration Lane Developments Pty Ltd, is now seeking to construct an eight-storey office and retail building.

President of EastEnders, Dr Stan Capp, said residents were disappointed by the lack of consultation.

“It was approved with no consultation and, although it is a better outcome than the 30-plus-storey permit previously approved, it reveals a lack of recognition of the City of Melbourne’s own policies relating to planning in laneways and heritage,” he said.

According to the council, the proposal was exempt from public notice under the relevant planning controls, and the application was not required to be advertised.

Dr Capp noted that the council had previously rejected a single-storey development in the area that would have added to the precinct’s diversity.

“The eight-storey approved development is capable of being commented upon, and in my view, we should do so,” he said.

Neighbouring cottages at 120–122 Little Lonsdale St, listed on the Heritage Places Inventory, are described as rare examples of mid-Victorian housing in the central city.

In a submission to the council, EastEnders said the planned 30. 9-metre blank wall adjoining these homes would “visually dominate” the heritage buildings and diminish the precinct’s cultural identity.

The group warned that approving the project would “set a dangerous precedent” for Melbourne’s laneway network by permitting blank walls, minimal activation and heritage consideration.

“It provides inadequate activation, poor public realm interface, and entrenches Exploration Lane as a back-of-house service space,” the submission read. “It leaves flood risk unresolved and delivers only minimal sustainability.”

EastEnders also raised concerns for the nearby former Exploration Hotel at 116–118 Little Lonsdale St, saying the new tower would overshadow the site and erode its contribution to a streetscape recognised for its early residential scale.

According to the objection, the development offers only 40 per cent active frontage, well below the 80 per cent expected within the Hoddle Grid. The proposed retail space of just 23 sqms was also deemed too small to be commercially viable.

The group warned that inactive façades and service entries would create “a hostile and unsafe environment”, contrary to the council’s urban design and crime prevention guidelines.

With all loading and waste collection proposed via Exploration Lane, residents argued the laneway was already too narrow to safely accommodate additional vehicle movements.

The site also lies within a flood zone, and while the finished floor levels have been raised, the lobby entrance remains vulnerable to flooding.

EastEnders has called for the council to review the planning permit.

The residents group argues that the applicant should be required to substantially redesign the proposal to provide at least 80 per cent genuine activation and weather protection and to respect the scale, massing, and heritage attributes of the area.

Additionally, its members would like for flood safety to be comprehensively addressed and for the development to deliver best-practice sustainability outcomes consistent with the council’s declared climate commitments. •