Cox Architecture and NH Architecture have been engaged to design a $900-million redevelopment of the Victoria Gardens shopping centre precinct in Melbourne’s inner-eastern suburb of Richmond.
Plans to transform the 20-year-old shopping centre include the creation of a “sustainable urban village” with a vision to “unite Victoria Gardens with Richmond’s evolving urban environment,” a spokesperson for Victoria Gardens said.
The revamped precinct will include active street frontages, a fresh food market, civic plazas and open-air laneways to create a welcoming and vibrant community space. The added commercial and residential space will also address the fringe suburb’s rapidly growing population and nascent tech industry scene.
A developer partnership comprising Salta Properties and Vicinity Parnters, which co-own Victoria Gardens Shopping Centre, purchased the site, encompassing two plots, in 2019.
The developers are now seeking the necessary planning approvals for the redevelopment from the Victorian government for a mixed-use precinct with over 45,000 square metres of retail and commercial space; 9,750 square metres of public outdoor space; and residential buildings for 1,679 new homes comprising one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments.
New Plaza
Image:
Cox Architects and NH Architecture
Most buildings will range from six to 12 storeys, consistent with the urban landscape, with some as tall as 17. Up to ten percent of the residential capacity will be reserved for affordable housing.
The site, bound by Victoria Street, River Boulevard, and Burnley and Doonside streets, will cover 5.2 hectares of real estate. From the site, Cox and NH Architecture will devise two main precincts forming their masterplan.
The Doonside precinct, south of the existing shopping centre, will include the fresh food market hall among its 12,000 square metres of retail and commercial floorspace. Residential buildings within this precinct will provide 839 new homes and 3,500 square metres of accessible open space.
The River Boulevard precinct, which connects the east of Victoria Gardens to the Yarra River corridor, will feature 6,200 square metres of public open space; 840 new dwellings across a cluster of residential buildings; 6,700 square metres of retail space; and 26,000 square metres of commercial office space and a 110-place childcare centre.
Corner of Doonside and David St
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Cox Architects and NH Architecture
The developers said the proposal reflects a long-term strategy to transform the site into a sustainable urban village, addressing evolving consumer preferences to live work and play closer to home, with an amenity-rich precinct addressing lifestyle, residential, commercial and social amenity.
As part of the overhaul, the architects will also restore historic pub, The Royal Studley Hotel, built in 1891, which has fallen into disrepair.
Pending approval, construction of the first stage of the redevelopment will commence in late 2024. Victoria Gardens will remain open through construction, and the design team said it would engage the local community throughout the process.
Source: Architecture - architectureau
