City Backs Second Stage of Gurner’s Elysium Fields

The second stage of high-profile developer Gurner’s $1.7-billion Elysium Fields development has won conditional backing from the City of Melbourne. The council’s Future Melbourne Committee on Tuesday night resolved to advise the Victorian planning minister of its support, albeit with a raft of conditions. This decision went against council staff recommendations that the stage of the Docklands project not be supported. The committee agreed to inform the minister that a planning permit for the project should be subject to minimum conditions, including detailed requirements for amended architectural plans, plans for waste management, sustainable management and landscaping, wind assessments, and road safety and environmental audits. The committee also recommended the project’s development plan be amended before any permit was issued. Council staff had recommended the application not be supported due to “significant key departures” from the development plan. The city’s statutory planning head Ann-Maree Drakos told the committee that “a permit granted must be generally in accordance with the development plan” and warned that “if a proposed use and development is not generally in accordance with a development plan, a planning permit cannot issue”. According to submitted planning documents, stage two would deliver 436 wellness-focused residences, 176 luxury hotel rooms and 103 premium serviced apartments across the 27,000sq m site at Digital Drive. The project would achieve a 5-Star Green Star rating with an eco-focused design inspired by what Gurner founder Tim Gurner describes as a “utopian urban forest within a city”. Residences would feature extensive anti-ageing facilities including cryotherapy, IV infusions, dry and infrared sauna, red light therapy, PEMF beds, air purifiers, filtered water, and circadian lighting systems. The proposal includes 2021sq m of recreational floorspace, 330sq m of retail space, a new gateway park on the corner of Dudley Street and Harbour Esplanade, and public realm improvements to Harbour Esplanade. Council officers identified dramatic departures from the approved Digital Harbour Development Plan, including Tower 4 exceeding its anticipated 100m limit by 16.18 per cent to reach 116.18m, while Tower 5 surpassed its 60m limit by 50.25 per cent to 90.15 metres. ▲ A rendering of the proposed Elysium Fields second stage at Docklands in Melbourne. Apartment yield had increased by up to 126 per cent from the maximum 650 homes to 1190 homes plus 279 hotel rooms, while commercial space was reduced by 94.5 per cent. The proposal would cast an additional 135sq m of shadow over public parks at 2pm, leaving just 24 per cent of parkland unshadowed during this time. The committee also noted concerns about the absence of community facilities such as schools, given existing pressures on local infrastructure. Contour Consultants senior town planner Sophie Malakellis, representing Digital Harbour Developments, defended the proposal, saying that “the maximum building heights proposed in this instance are commensurate with the previous approved outcome”. She said the application was “entirely consistent with the yield expectations of the development plan” and would deliver “an increased quantum of employment-generating floor area”. Rather than blocking the development, the committee’s motion recommended conditions that would address concerns while allowing the project to proceed. The city’s decision for this stage was more supportive than that for stage one, comprising three towers of around 700 homes. The committee did not support that stage in August of 2024. It was ultimately approved by the planning minister Sonia Kilkenny the next month , also subject to conditions. The recommended conditions for stage two also include reducing overshadowing of the future central park, splitting the building’s podium into two with an open-air pedestrian thoroughfare, achieving wind safety criteria without wind screens in public spaces, and ensuring sustainable design features such as photovoltaic systems and rainwater tanks. Environmental and infrastructure requirements, such as conducting environmental audits, protecting public trees during construction, constructing Digital Drive and the park in accordance with Melbourne City Council standards, and ensuring public access to pedestrian thoroughfares, are also included in the conditions. Wind mitigation strategies must also avoid creating wind tunnel effects. ▲ A rendering of the proposed Elysium Fields stage 2. Melbourne deputy lord mayor Roshena Campbell said “with these updates and these conditions, and with an amendment of the development plan, Digital Harbour can become a truly exceptional place”. The future of the stage now rests with the Victorian planning minister. Gurner chief development officer Robert Clarke said the company worked closely with the Department of Transport and Planning throughout the process. “We look forward to receiving the planning permit shortly and commencing construction across this important project, which would re-shape and redefine the nearby area into a truly world-class mixed-use wellness focused precinct,” Clarke said. The development is a joint venture between Gurner and City Harbour, a consortium including the Liberman family who holds development rights to the project. Construction has begun on the first stage—Hamilton Marino was appointed as builder for the first tower of 250 luxury build-to-sell apartments. Malakellis said Gurner was “committed to working with the council and the Department of Transport and Planning to ensure the delivery of the vision for the precinct”.

City Backs Second Stage of Gurner’s Elysium Fields

Get the full story.

Quarry Supply Crisis Casts Shadow Over Olympics Pipeline

From Vineyard to Venue: Australia Bets Big on Agritourism

Australian Hotel Market Turns to Hybrid Models as Supply Dries Up

WA Developers Seek Balance as Role of Government Evolves

Architectural Fantasy: The Summoning of the Glasshouse Theatre

The Iran Conflict & Its Impact on Construction 2026

Explained: Brisbane's Proposed LMR Zoning 2026

What Lies Beneath: What developers need to know about basements and groundwater in NSW 2026

Sydney Developer Outlook Lunch Series | Panel | Jessica Kelley, Ben Finger & Pierre Sleiman

Perth’s ‘Unsustainable’ House Prices Defy National Slowdown

Midrise Plans Revealed for Brisbane’s Paddington

Red Centre Retail: Alice Springs Kmart Comes to Market

Campelltown Townhouse Site Tipped into Midrise Play

Residential Developer 2026

The Urban Developer Awards for Industry Excellence