Magazine Mogul Plots Midrise Scheme in Melbourne’ East

A four-building apartment scheme would rise on an amalgamated site east of the Melbourne CBD under plans filed by the owner of a chain of magazine shops and now before the state.

The medium-density apartment project has been submitted for 18–30 Whitehorse Road, a consolidated 4755sq m site within the Deepdene Neighbourhood Centre at Deepdene.

The site in the City of Boroondara is about 10km from the city centre with Whitehorse Road to the north and the Anniversary Trail to the west, within an established residential and neighbourhood centre precinct.

The scheme proposes 76 apartments across four buildings ranging from three to six storeys, comprising 9 one, 29 two, 34 three and 4 four-bedroom homes.

Designed by Kerstin Thompson Architects, the proposal has a separated pavilion-style form with centralised taller elements and lower street edges, alongside a 12m maximum height control and an 8m street wall to Whitehorse Road.

Plans include more than 200sq m of communal indoor and outdoor amenity space, a raised landscape boardwalk, rooftop solar, rainwater harvesting and an 8-star average NatHERS performance target.

The development proposes 139 car parking spaces across two basement levels, along with 102 bicycle spaces. The site is near tram and bus routes.

The application has been lodged by VJ1830 Pty Ltd, a special purpose vehicle acting through Tract Consultants. According to ASIC records, Vali Valibhoy is the sole officeholder in the company, which is registered to a Melbourne address.

Valibhoy is the owner of Mag Nation, a chain of speciality magazine stores in Melbourne that he took over in early 2014. 

In 2023, Valibhoy filed plans for a four-storey mixed-use project in Melbourne’s Fitzroy North, which was believed to be his first venture into property development.

Also named in the ASIC documents as a shareholder is Comintra Pty Ltd, whose directors are named as Mohamed Shariff Valibhoy and Parveen Valibhoy.

The application is being progressed under the state’s Great Design Fast Track pathway, with the Minister for Planning identified as the responsible authority for decision-making.

Planning documentation highlighted the project’s integration with the Anniversary Trail, Deepdene Primary School and surrounding parklands, placing it within a walkable network of education, recreation and transport infrastructure.