Minister approves construction of Pentridge Sheikher prison towers

Victoria’s Planning Minister has called and approved a two-tower housing development for Pentridge Prison.

Brisbane developer Shayer Group has proposed a development for part of the 170-year-old prison site in Cobourg, about 9km north of Melbourne’s central business district.

The project would rise between six-metre high bluestone walls on Champ Street and the historic Ward A cell block.

The application was reviewed by Heritage Victoria in February this year.

The application proposed 245 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments in 11-storey (109 apartments) and 12-storey towers (136 apartments).

There will also be parking for 260 cars and 345 bicycle spaces across three basement levels, as well as outdoor spaces. Access is via Moonering Drive.

Pedestrian access will be through an opening in the original bluestone wall to the south-west courtyard.

In February, Shayer Group estimated the cost of the project at $70 million.

Scheier has worked on several projects for the 6.7-hectare Pentridge prison as part of a masterplan that supports high-density development.

State Planning Minister Sonia Kilkenny has now approved the application, ensuring it does not end up in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT), potentially delaying the project after it spent three years before Merry Bec City Council.

The project site, designed by CHT Architects, is close to Coburg station, tram stops, five schools, parks, playgrounds, shops and a cinema.

▲ A landscape walkway separates the two buildings and leads to the Ward A cell block, which was a women’s prison for some time.

Over the past year, Kilkenny has used its powers under the Planning Act to step in and approve 10,700 homes, including through the Development Assistance Scheme, a fast-track option for projects that provide affordable housing as part of their outcomes.

Pentridge Prison was once one of Australia’s worst prisons.

Although based in Brisbane, Shayer is part of Taiwanese apartment developer Par Jar Group, which bought the northern half of the prison in 2013.

Part of the prison has since been transformed into a $1 billion entertainment and lifestyle area.

The area includes a shopping center, a 15-screen movie theater, a brewery, a wine bar, a restaurant, another apartment tower, townhouses and the Adina Apartments.

The prison was built between 1860 and 1865. The two-storey Division A block was intended to become a separate women’s prison, but was used for this purpose for less than a year before the female prisoners were transferred to Melbourne Prison. The south wing was added in the 1890s.

Former prisoners at the prison include bushranger Ned Kelly and armed robber Mark “Chopper” Reid.

▲ Pentridge Prison was completed in 1865.