Sienna Apartments Travancore

Sienna Apartments - Travancore

Travancore on the Park is a unique $395 million mixed use development, which will transform a formerly inaccessible and decaying industrial site into a valuable and attractive urban asset heralding the northern entry to the Melbourne CBD. Situated adjacent to the famous Tullamarine Freeway coloured ‘Cheesesticks’, Travancore on the Park is destined to become a key part of the sculptural gateway into Melbourne.

Construction of Stage 1 commenced in June 2006 and was completed in April 2008, with an end completion value of $80 million. Stage 1 comprised two low-rise residential buildings for a total of 144 apartments, 2,500 m² of retail space along Mt Alexander Road, a central publicly accessible piazza linked to the bike path and walkways along the Moonee Ponds Creek and the adjacent Reserve and parklands. The residences have been designed to have outlooks over either the piazza, Delhi Reserve to the north or Debneys Park to the west.

Stages 2 and 3 will complete the master plan for this landmark site and will add further energy and economy to a flourishing neighbourhood. Construction of Stage 2 commenced in December 2008 and will comprise the Sienna building with 243 residential apartments and townhouses surrounding the central piazza, plus 2,050 m² of commercial and retail space with an on completion value of $120 million. Stage 3 will be comprise The Alexander Lombard Tower of 25 levels with 396 apartments with an 'on completion' value of $195 million.

Travancore on the Park will have exceptional features for both residents and commercial tenants – access to major arterials, close proximity to the CBD, rail and tram public transport, and great exposure put together in an architecturally savvy new development. Renowned architects Fender Katsilidis will continue the themes established in the first stage of Travancore on the Park – with a real commitment to quality, aesthetic appeal and function. Together, Bensons and Fender Katsilidis are committed to a development which is a stylish and modern entry to the city, in keeping with the freeway public art elements.

A range of features addressing energy and water use will be incorporated in the design – including solar boosted hot water for residents, the latest energy saving elements in the office complex, and rainwater harvesting for the landscaped areas. Access by bicycle will be actively encouraged, with the development so close to Melbourne’s extensive bike path network, and there will be racks available for occupiers and visitors.

The Mt Alexander Road street frontage will be enlivened with a continuation of retail, also providing cohesiveness. A gymnasium is proposed and a café will be added to the piazza in Stage 2. There are also further ground level retail opportunities and a child care facility proposed for the office component located at the southern end of the site.

Situated on Mt Alexander Road at Melbourne’s northern gateway, the site of ‘Travancore on the Park’ has a rich history and has always been of commercial and geographical significance to Melbourne. Mt Alexander Road was firmly established in the 1850’s as the major commercial route to Victoria’s newly discovered northern goldfields, and is one of Melbourne’s original great boulevards. Mount Alexander itself is situated near Castlemaine.

In about 1848 the Flemington Hotel was built on the site. In 1851 the Flemington Bridge over the adjacent Moonee Ponds Creek was built, improving the connection to the gold diggings' road out of Melbourne. In 1855 the pre-eminent merchant and speculator, Hugh Glass, acquired all of the land in the vicinity of Mt Alexander Road and Mooltan Street and built Flemington House.

In 1906 the Glass property was sold, having been vacant for some time. The new owner, Henry Madden bred horses for export to India and he renamed the house Travancore, after the former Indian princely state (located on the south west coast of India, which is now part of the state of Kerala). From 1918 the estate of 90 acres was subdivided, creating the Travancore Estate (with Dehli Reserve and Indian street names), and space for the new Flemington primary school. Travancore House became a special school, and was finally demolished in 1947.

In 1876 Debney's tannery was opened on land on the western side of Mt Alexander Road and became a major source of local employment. The tannery gave its name to Debney's Paddock, which later became Debneys Park. Early records show that by 1885 the ‘Travancore on the Park’ site had become a commercial centre for the region, and along with the Flemington Hotel (which existed until at least 1915) the site was also home to a mixture of other small businesses such as grocers, bakers, boot makers and tanners. By the turn of the century there was also some residential housing, and in 1906 tramlines were opened along Mt Alexander Road.

The Moonee Ponds Creek used to flow through a portion of the site. However land near the creek was subject to periodic flooding. From the 1940’s to the 1980’s, the Melbourne Metropolitan Board of Works (now called Melbourne Water) realigned and concreted the creek from Strathmore to Flemington Road in an attempt to stop the flooding. In 1970 the Tullamarine Freeway next to the creek was completed. These works were modified with the completion of the City Link western extension in 1999, with its distinctive sound tunnel and coloured ‘Cheesesticks’ or ‘fingers’ architecture further enhancing the site as the gateway to Melbourne’s north.

By 1945, the ‘Travancore on the Park’ site was the home of Lords Hardware Wholesalers and concrete products. In 1988 the site became the headquarters and warehousing facility for Lombards, the Paper People. The site quickly became a Melbourne landmark. Everyone knew the Lombards complex, with its flamboyant signage. Lombards itself was also well known as a strong contributor to local charities and embraced employment programs for disadvantaged youths.

Tragically in November 2004 the Lombards business was burned to the ground in an inferno that could be seen across the city. Bensons Property Group had acquired an option to purchase the site in 2002. At the time of the fire, master planning for the site was still being undertaken by Bensons. Faced with an uncertain business future, Lombards sought the assistance of the State Government and asked Bensons to expedite its plans for the development of Stage 1 of the site. Bensons also fast tracked delivery of a new purpose-built state of the art head office and warehousing facility for Lombards at Keilor Park by August 2006.

From the ashes of the Lombards fire, Bensons’ vision for ‘Travancore on the Park’ is to reinstate the site as the gateway to and from the north of the Melbourne CBD and to create a landmark mixed use project that will be a fully integrated combination of modern stylish architecturally designed apartments, a prominent office tower and supporting retail areas, all set around a stunning piazza open to the public.

The key dates in Bensons’ development of ‘Travancore on the Park’ are:

• August 2002 – An option to purchase the site is granted to Bensons Property Group
  
  
• September 2003 – Bensons lodges application to rezone the site
  
  
• August 2004 – Rezoning of site to Business 2 is gazetted.
  
  
• November 2004 – Fire destroys Lombard’s factory and head office.
  
  
• January 2005 – Bensons lodges planning application for Stage 1.
  
  
• February 2005 - Development Plan overlay approved.
  
  
• March 2005 - Bensons exercises option to purchase the site.
  
  
• March 2005 – Stage 1 planning permits conditions approved by authorities.
  
  
• August 2005 – Stage 1 plans endorsed by authorities.
  
  
• December 2005 – Bensons settles acquisition of the site.
  
  
• June 2006 – Stage 1 construction commences.
  
  
• August 2006 – new Lombards head office at Keilor Park delivered by Bensons.
  
  
• July 2007 – Agreement with Vic Roads, Moonee Valley Council and Bensons executed in respect of the widening Mt Alexander Road.
  
  
• August 2007 – Development Plans for Stages 2 and 3 submitted to Moonee Valley City Council.
  
  
• March 2008 – Development Plan for Stage 2 Sienna building approved by Moonee Valley City Council.
  
  
• April 2008 – Stage 1 construction completed.
  
  
• May 2008 – Planning permit for Stage 2 Sienna building, with 243 apartments and townhouses, issued by Moonee Valley City Council.
  
  
• June 2008 - Priority Development Panel recommends approval of the Development Plan for Stage 3.
  
  
• August 2008 - Development Plan  for Stage 3 approved by VCAT.
  
  
• September 2008 - Planning permit for Stage 3  as an office building approved by Moonee Valley City Council.
  
  
• December 2008 - Planning permit for Stage 3 amendment for use now as residential building approved by Moonee Valley City Council.