Antipodean’s East Melbourne $32m Shoptop Apartment Block Greenlit

The development will include four buildings—two central six-storey blocks and two smaller three-to-four-storey buildings on the edges of the site. 

There will also be two basement levels with parking for 139 cars.

Two retail units on the ground floor will compromise 207sq m of area, and there will also be a wellness centre of 115sq m. 

The project on the site that has a gradual slope is being designed by Kerstin Thompson Architects.

Surrounded by lower-scale residential buildings, the site is on a major arterial route, Whitehorse Road, and near a tram route to the CBD.

▲ Antipodean Land Developments is also seeking to redevelop the St Joseph’s Home for Destitute Children at Surrey Hills.

According to the assessment report from the Department of Transport and Planning, the development is “reflective of sustainable urban growth through building on an opportunity for infill development in a well serviced and established area”. 

The department said that the medium-density project would help realise the 20-minute neighbourhood vision for future residents and offer choice “for a number of family-living structures”. 

It said that the project “responds appropriately” to the strategic direction planned for Deepdene, where apartment prices reach a median of $982,500—a decline of 24.4 per cent in the past 12 months, according to realestate.com.au. 

The City of Boroondara Council initially raised concerns about the plan, but these were addressed in detail through conditions and in the assessment report. 

The department granted the permit for Antipodean’s Deepdene project, which joins a number of other projects being undertaken by the increasingly prolific developer. 

This year, Antipodean has filed an adaptive reuse scheme for a heritage-listed orphanage in Melbourne’s inner east, as well as residential projects at Fitzroy.