Box Hill high rise: Whitehorse councillors approve 25-storey Prospect St office tower

Box Hill will get another huge office tower, but despite ticking it off, there’s one issue which some Whitehorse councillors are worried about.

A 25-storey office tower will be built at 22-24 Prospect St in Box Hill. Picture: Extract from planning documents.

Box Hill is set to get another huge office tower, not far from its shopping precinct and railway station.

Whitehorse councillors unanimously approved developer BNG group’s proposed 25-storey tower at 22-24 Prospect St at its meeting on Monday night.

The application was approved after an amendment from mayor and local ward councillor Tina Liu for the inclusion of an action plan for emergency incidents.

The building is set to including 24 levels of office space, a food and drink outlet on the ground floor, along with a gym, wellness centre and communal areas on level four.

It will also have 218 car spaces, 15 less than the council’s minimum requirements, and the majority of which will be underground over six levels.

Two councillors expressed concerns about passing the application despite the request for a small reduction in parking.

Councillors Mark Lane and Amanda McNeil said while they supported the project in general, they feared less parking spaces could lead to more cars clogging Prospect St and its surrounds.

“If we continue to give dispensation on parking, this does pose some potential problems,” Cr McNeil said.
“If people cannot park in the basement, they will park on the street and elsewhere, and there is flow-on consequences for nearby streets in Box Hill.”

“I’m concerned millions are being spent for us to come up with these (parking) guidelines … and they are there for a reason … we need to keep them in line,” Cr Lane said.

Artist impressions show a “crinkle cut” design and the building being joined together by pedestrian walkways on some levels.

Council officers recommended the application be approved despite six objections on issues including the tower’s height and impact on the skyline.

According to an officers’ summary, they felt the proposed tower would be “consistent in height and scale to other buildings approved and constructed in the immediate area”.

They also stated the tower would “adequately blend” within the surrounding skyline, in line with the Box Hill Activity Centre masterplan.

Cr Prue Cutts said she supported the development as it was non-residential and the first large building on Prospect St which matched the council’s vision for the area.

“I don’t tend to like these large residential developments in Box Hill, but this is not a residential building, and this is what we’re seeking for this area in Box Hill,” she said.

“Yes it’s a big tower, and some people don’t like big towers, but this is the way Box Hill is going and we can’t stop progress.”

Three other projects on Prospect St with 20 or more storeys are approved or under construction, including a 25-storey apartment complex and two 30-storey mixed-use towers.

Another 22-storey mixed use development is under consideration by the council.

On its website, BNG Group has stated it wants to create “a project that will ultimately become one of Box Hill’s landmark buildings”, but has not stated its overall cost.