Plan to Raise Tower Behind Melbourne’s Portland House

In a sign of faith in the struggling sector, plans have been filed for a 10-storey office tower in Melbourne’s CBD.

The site at 8 Collins Street at the Paris-end of Melbourne, near the Victorian Parliament and other buildings along Spring Street, is currently home to the three-storey heritage-listed Portland House.

Under plans filed with the City of Melbourne, the tower would be built behind the heritage-listed building.

Car parking access for the tower, which would also include a retail componet, would be via Spring Street.

The plans Denton Corker Marshall also show a ground floor foyer with access to Collins Street through Portland House.

There would be car parking at the rear of the site on the ground floor and a void or atrium from the first to eighth floors with office space on either side.

A rooftop garden is also planned for the tower with a skylight and glazing choices to allow daylight through to the lower levels.

The demolition of some non-heritage structures behind the heritage building would required while conservation and restoration work would be carried out to the interior of Portland House.

A heritage impact statement was prepared by Trethowan. Portland House was built in 1872 by Henry “Money” Miller for his daughter Jane Miller and her husband Dr Aubrey Bowen as a townhouse and surgery.

It was designed by Lloyd Taylor and was later occupied by Melbourne physician Sir Henry Maudsley.

▲ A render of the Denton Corker Marshall design for the development from the Collins Street side.

According to title documents for the site, Portland House (No. 8) Pty Ltd became the sole proprietor of the site in May, 2010.

ASIC records state that Portland House (No. 8) Pty Ltd has two directors, Philip Charles Wakeley and Ian Rene Currie, and that shares in it are held by Scotia Holdings Limited, a company with an address in the Bahamas.

Currie is also listed as a secretary for Portland House Nominees Pty Ltd which lists Richard Charles Hains, Michael David Hains, Mark Matthew Leibler, Stephen John Hains, Catherine Lee Hains and Paul Andrew Hains as directors.

Both Portland House Nominees Pty Ltd and Portland House (No. 8) Pty Ltd share the same address as the site—8 Collins Street. Currie is also listed as the chief financial officer of the Portland House Group.

Another company, Portland Protector Pty Ltd, owns all shares in Portland House Nominees Pty Ltd and lists Richard Charles Hains, Michael David Hains, Mark Matthew Leibler, Stephen John Hains, Catherine Lee Hains and Paul Andrew Hains as directors, along with Gary Douglas Weatherley.

The ultimate holding company, according to ASIC documents, that owns shares in Portland Protector Pty Ltd is Portland House Investments Ltd, which shares the same address in the Bahamas as Scotia Holdings Limited.

As reported in other media, the Portland House Group is owned by the Hains family, which has an estimated net worth of $1.95 billion, according to Forbes, which put the family at 28 on its richest Australians top 50.

The Urban Developer contacted the Portland House Group for comment.