Heritage Victoria greenlights Gurrowa Place Towers at Queen Vic Market

Heritage Victoria has approved the construction of Gurrowa Place, a multi-tower project by Lendlease located at the historic Queen Victoria Market.

The three towers, designed by a who’s who of architecture firms, will accommodate students, residential apartments and office spaces. 1.8ha of existing carpark will also be transformed into an open public area. The project’s total value is estimated at $1.7 billion.

The Queen Victoria Market sits on what was once Melbourne’s first cemetery. It’s estimated that 9,000 people are buried at the site, with some lying just 1.5 metres below the existing car park surface. The site’s extraordinary history necessitated approval from Heritage Victoria for the project to proceed, which it has now granted.

But Heritage Victoria’s approval comes with a caveat: construction must begin within two years, and the project needs to reach completion within six years from the permit issue date.

The Department of Transport and Planning will now consider Heritage Victoria’s approval in its final planning decisions for the site.

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