As many as 1400 apartments could soon be built on the Kinnears Ropeworks factory site at Footscray after developers lodged plans for its redevelopment.
The four-stage construction proposed by China-based R&F Properties for the 3.3 hectare site, bounded by Ballarat Road, Farnsworth Avenue and Kinnear Street, would be one of Melbourne’s largest apartment developments.
R&F Properties last year paid $60 million for the site to AXF Group property tycoon Richard Gu, who had bought the site for $17 million in 2007.
Eight towers ranging from five through to 18 storeys would be built in a project that would demolish a number of buildings but incorporate the most significant.
The Victorian Heritage Register listed site was the largest and longest continually operating ropeworks in Victoria, operating from 1903 to 2002.
An independent panel appointed by then Planning Minister Matthew Guy in 2012 backed a planning scheme amendment that provides in principle support for the 1400 apartments.
Heritage considerations
The developer must consider a range of architectural and urban design issues including heritage, shadows, privacy, transport and parking.
A heritage impact statement prepared by Lovell Chen noted the complex is of historical, social, scientific and architectural significance to the state of Victoria and is a Footscray landmark.
“From a heritage perspective, key actions include the retention, conservation and adaptation of a substantial complex of heritage buildings (the heritage core); and the retention of the distinct heritage street wall facades on Ballarat Road and Farnsworth Street and their incorporation into new build and the reinforcement of key internal laneways within the site.”
Other buildings would be demolished and large areas of the site are redeveloped for residential use, with associated retail and community facilities.
Architects Elenberg Fraser has prepared a master plan for the site.
Contamination will need to be dealt with via a site remediation strategy.
The “substantial scale and complexity” of the project mean it would take about five years to complete.
