Plans for Australia’s tallest building have been unveiled but the developer looks set to face a planning battle to secure its chosen design.
At 356.2 metres, the Green Spine residential tower at Southbank in Melbourne would eclipse the Gold Coast’s 322.5m-tall Q1 building.
But the design would require the Victorian planning minister to override existing planning laws, according to a Melbourne city councillor, who has raised concerns about the state government’s involvement in the design selection process.
Sitting south of the CBD and the Yarra River, the winning Green Spine design would comprise two towers, the main 356m building and a smaller 252m tower. Both feature a twisting geometric glass facade with a publicly accessible botanic garden at the peak.
The design, a collaboration by Melbourne-based Cox Architecture and Dutch firm UNStudio, was selected out of a field of six. The six designs were unveiled by Victoria’s state treasurer Tim Pallas last month. The announcement on Wednesday followed a six-month selection process with judges including the Victorian government architect and members of the architectural community.
Rohan Leppert, a Melbourne Greens councillor, told Guardian Australia he was concerned by the government’s involvement in the design process.
“None of this has come anywhere near a planning application process yet,” he said.
“The participation of the treasurer [and the Victorian government architect] in the design competition announcement gives the perception that government is supportive of this process and perhaps even supportive of the competition outcomes.
“But that has nothing to do with the compatibility of the design with the planning system. To be perfectly honest it does look like quite a conflict of interest.”
Leppert, who said he did not have a personal position on the merits of the proposal itself, warned the Andrews government against making special rules for big-name projects.
It follows a decision by the government to approve a 90-level tower for Crown last year, bypassing the standing planning process.
“It gives the strong perception that planning decisions can be made by going around the planning system if you’ve got a big enough and expensive enough PR campaign,” Leppert said.
Asked if the planning minister would need to override existing laws, a Beulah International spokesperson said: “As it’s too early in the planning process it is hard to say, but we will work collaboratively alongside the relevant stakeholders through the entire journey.
“Construction is scheduled to begin in 2020 and therefore, current planning laws may not be applicable.”
A spokeswoman for the minister for planning, Richard Wynne, said the plan was only speculative at this stage.
“There is no application before the planning department for this development and at present this proposal is purely speculative,” she said.
Touted as a “vertical city of green spaces”, the $2bn development will include a series of stairs and stepped terraces to provide a pedestrian connection at street level, while the taller building will include a marketplace, meeting places and art installations.
At the lower level, there will be a vertical school, daycare, library, cinema, auditorium and a BMW showroom. The smaller tower will also house commercial offices, a hotel, restaurants and bars.
The company purchased the 6,061sqm site in 2017. Melbourne’s tallest building is currently the Eureka Tower, which stands at 297.3m.
In May, the Royal Society of Victoria announced plans for a 300m tower in Melbourne’s CBD.
The Victorian government has been approached for comment.