Please note: The content below is based on the draft Cremorne Urban Design Framework (UDF) that was open for community feedback from Monday 7 November to Monday 12 December 2022. This may not be reflective of the revised UDF that was endorsed by Council at the Council Meeting on Tuesday 12 September 2023. A further round of consultation will occur early next year to finalise the UDF and exhibit the proposed permanent planning provisions. We will conduct this stage of consultation once we receive approval from the Victorian Government. This page will be updated at that time. Click here for more information.

Birrarung Precinct is located along the Yarra River on either side of the railway corridor and the Cremorne Residential Precinct. It consists of four strategic sites – Richmond Maltings, 167 Cremorne Street, Rosella Complex and 658 Church Street.

Richmond Maltings – Strategic site

The Maltings site is bound by Gough Street to the north, Punt Road to the west, Harcourt Parade and CityLink to the south, and Cremorne Street to the east.

The large site is made up of several allotments, totalling approximately 9,906sqm. The Richmond Maltings site was established in 1852 and has been continuously associated with the brewing and malting industry.

The 1880 four-storey pneumatic malthouse and silos remain on the site. Many of these buildings and the Nylex Sign are of State heritage significance. The iconic Nylex Sign, a Municipal Landmark was erected on the silos in 1961.

The primary viewing location is from the centre of Morell Bridge (within the City of Melbourne), with other views from CityLink.

The site comprises of buildings ranging from 2-4 storeys, the 9-storey MYOB building and two residential apartment towers, with a mix of shops, a supermarket and offices. The central and north-western part of the site not yet been developed. It has a permit for a hotel and various commercial buildings including office and a mix of retail, function spaces, cafes and restaurants.

Vision

The Richmond Maltings will be a hub of activity and employment. The mix of residential, commercial and retail uses will activate the precinct throughout the day and evening. Surrounding streets are activated and enhanced through expanded footpaths, street tree planting, active ground floor uses and generous entry forecourts and spaces.

The site will provide a series of vibrant plazas and laneways that integrate the site into the surrounds and draw people into the precinct. The design of links and spaces will reference and celebrate the site’s rich industrial past.

Significant heritage buildings and structures will be showcased and enhanced. With new buildings sited and designed to respect existing buildings and retain the prominence and landmark qualities of the Nylex sign and associated silos.

Buildings range in height, responding to the low scale residential precinct to the north and the Yarra River surroundings to the south, avoiding additional overshowing.

167 Cremorne Street – Strategic site

A large island site with three street interfaces; Dover Street to the east, Bent Street to the north and Cremorne Street to the west. Harcourt Parade and CityLink forms the southern interface of the site.

The southern facade of the existing building is highly visible from the Main Yarra Trail on the southern side of the Yarra River. The eastern interface along Dover Street is predominantly fine-grain residential dwellings with landscaped setbacks.

Vision

167 Cremorne Street is a collection of diverse buildings sited and designed to respond to the varied conditions to the north, east, south and west. Buildings range in height and decrease in height to the east to respond to the low-scale context of Dover Street.

The landscape character of Dover Street is enhanced through the provision of a landscaped ground floor setback. Buildings on the southern portion of the site are designed to enhance the setting of the river corridor.

New pedestrian links improve connectivity through the site and break up the building mass. Cremorne Street and Bent Street are activated and enhanced through expanded footpaths, street tree planting, active ground floor uses and generous entry forecourts and spaces. A new small local open space is sited to the north-east, with two street frontages.

Rosella Complex – Strategic site

The Rosella site is a business park-style development directly adjacent to the railway line. The site is made up of a number of allotments and is bound by Balmain Street, Gwynne Street and residential properties to the west and CityLink to the south.

There are a number of contributory heritage buildings interspersed with non-heritage buildings on the site. The original buildings were established on the site on 1905, operating until the 1980s. A large allotment to the south directly interfaces the freeway. Palmer Parade, a private road loops around to connect with Gwynne and Munro Streets.

Vision

The Rosella Complex is an exemplary collection of industrial buildings in a contemporary commercial setting. The buildings fronting Balmain Street, Palmer Parade and the railway line with their distinctive Rosella signs are showcased.

Additions to heritage buildings allow key heritage features to be retained and remain prominent. A legible street network and a new publicly accessible open space welcomes people into the site. High quality facades to the railway and river corridor create a positive image of Cremorne. New infill buildings provide visual interest at the ground level and have forms and materials that are complementary to the heritage context.

658 Church Street – Strategic site

658 Church Street is a business park style office precinct which sits alongside the railway line to the west and the freeway to the south. The site is zoned Commercial 2 and includes fashion, retail, creative and tech businesses and headquarters such as Tesla, Disney, and Hardie Grant.

The site includes the former Richmond Power Station – a prominent heritage building of State significance. Other buildings within the site are of a mixed scale and character. The buildings within 658 Church Street are set within the landscape with significant tree coverage along most of the internal streets and within the carparks. There is a central linear open space along the primary internal street (Dale Street Reserve).

Vision

658 Church Street is a collection of contemporary office buildings within a landscape setting. The street network is legible, pedestrian friendly and well-connected to the surrounding streets. Carparking is consolidated to allow the extensive public space network to be expanded. Public spaces are sunny and comfortable places for people to meet and relax. The Former Richmond Power Station is celebrated and streetscape views to prominent facades are enhanced.