‘Prison cell’ student high-rise attacked for heritage impact, living standards

A student housing tower in the city, just four storeys taller than its neighbour, is under fierce opposition from nearby residents, who claim the plan will impact the area’s heritage and provide substandard living conditions.

Pressure is building on the state government to knock back the $139 million, 35-storey development at 43 Mackenzie Street, which has been located within a World Heritage environs area created around the Royal Exhibition Building since earlier this year.

The zone imposed 103-metre height restrictions to protect views of the heritage-listed building. However, the 112.85-metre purpose-built student accommodation (PSBA) building would exceed those by almost 10 metres.

Residents Belinda Yuncken and Valentine Smith said they were concerned about the impacts of the new build on the area.

The couple own an apartment around the corner, in the former police building at 340 Russell Street, which is also heritage listed. Their windows directly overlook the proposed development site, currently occupied by the old Victorian Police Association headquarters.

“If that goes up … it’ll annihilate that side [of Mackenzie Street]. It will really heavily impact us to the point where I would probably sell, but I wouldn’t get my money back,” Yuncken said.

Belinda Yuncken and Valentine Smith outside the proposed development site.Credit: Eddie Jim

“The neighbourhood character is being destroyed by this type of building … [it] is impacting years and years and years of heritage protection.”

The planning application has attracted more than 150 public objections, including a formal objection from Heritage Victoria. The City of Melbourne voted not to support the development at a meeting on November 11.

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The council has no authority to make decisions about the project, but resolved to provide recommendations to the planning minister.

“The excessive height, overshadowing and amenity impacts are not consistent with the Melbourne Planning Scheme,” Deputy Lord Mayor Roshena Campbell said.

“We recognise the importance of well-located student accommodation – but it must be balanced with amenity impacts and heritage considerations.”

There is also concern about the living standards in the proposed building. The PBSA facility will contain 675 beds, with 1718.5 square metres of communal space. That equates to roughly 2.5 square metres of communal space per resident.

These provisions do not meet the expectations around liveability standards in student accommodation from the City of Melbourne, Campbell said during the council meeting.

Smith was similarly concerned about the standard of living for students living at the proposed site, as well as those in apartments next door at 27-39 Mackenzie Street, whose only external windows would be majorly obstructed.

“I spent 40 years in the police force, and what I’m seeing here is hundreds of people who are basically going to be living in prison cells. The only difference is they’ll have a key to the door,” Smith said.

The planning application was submitted by Singapore-based Centurion Corporation, which currently operates PSBA sites across six countries, including the UK and Australia.

Centurion applied for the project to be included within the affordable housing clause of the state’s Development Facilitation Program, which aims to fast-track priority projects.

In an affordable housing statement submitted to the state government, a company representative said the accommodation should be considered affordable, because its residents would likely be low-income earners.

The Victorian Police Association building currently occupies the Mackenzie Street site.Credit: Eddie Jim

“Therefore the building is in fact proposed to incorporate 100 per cent affordable housing,” the statement said.

But rental prices for the PBSA are likely to be higher than the median rent in that section of the CBD, which is $375 per week according to 2021 ABS census data.

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While there are no prices listed for the 43 Mackenzie Street proposal, the cheapest option at Centurion’s existing Dwell Village Melbourne City accommodation site – a 28-square metre room, shared between two people – starts from $375 per week, per person. The most expensive one-bedroom apartment costs $1258 per week for a 12-month lease.

Five more buildings by the company are currently under construction or waiting for planning approval across three states in Australia. A spokesperson from Centurion declined to comment.

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