Becton to Develop Reg Hunt Dealership Into Retirement Village

Malvern East's former Reg Hunt Holden car dealership on Dandenong Road will become a $54-million parkside retirement apartment project under bold plans by the site's new owner, Becton.

Sources say the prominent site, which Reg Hunt sold in April 2002, will make way for a high-rise tower of up to seven levels and exploit the block's rear outlook overlooking the Urban Forest Reserve and parkland on Hyslop Street, where the site is positioned on the corner.

It's believed the tower will have about 75 apartments, with some form of basement parking.

Concept plans for the site have appeared on the website of boutique architect firm Demaine.

The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal is believed to be considering Becton's proposal after it was rejected by the council. The site has been cleared.

Representatives from Becton and Demaine declined to comment while the proposal was being considered by VCAT.

The deserted car yard at number 1287-1291 Dandenong Road was once the site of Cooper's Timber Yard. It traded between 1926 and 1979, before Hunt bought the site.

Becton has been buying a range of unusual sites to develop into contemporary retirement communities. In the past year this has included the former Tudor Court Reception Centre in Caulfield North and the Beaumaris Hotel on Beach Road.

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