Grocon Deals With Controversial Planning Controls

Planning controls have come under the spotlight again, after it was revealed this week developer Grocon will bypass public consultation over its redevelopment of a 2 hectare site on the CBD fringe.

Grocon is understood to have requested a planning scheme amendment for the former Carlton United Brewery site on Swanston Street, which would allow Planning Minister Justin Madden to make a decision about the site’s future, without any requirement to exhibit the plans to the community.

Earlier in the week, the Melbourne City Council said the proposed project should undergo a full public process, including independent review, before any decision was made about the site’s future.

By the end of the week however, the MCC conceded that, due to a special zoning passed in the 1990s, the Department of Planning and Development will make the ultimate decision.

A spokeswoman for the council said a planning decision for the site is expected within weeks.

Grocon bought the development site off the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology for $39 million in October last year. It is planning to build six high rise buildings split by laneways, similar to its QV development in Lonsdale Street.

Related Items :

• Minister Approves Planning Permit For Carlton Brewery
• MAB Corporation Executives Smudge Footprint in Bundoora Development
• Ford to Sell Prominent Footscray Site
• VCAT Approves Macquarie Office Tower For Collins Street
• Fitzroy 'Cheesegrater' Apartment Project to go Ahead
• Mitcham High Rise Saga Continues
• Melbourne Uni Buys Elizabeth Towers Hotel For $20 Million
• Apartment Tower Planned For Behind Melbourne High School