Chapel St South Yarra 25-storey office tower refused by Stonnington Council

A proposal to build a high-rise tower almost twice the recommended height for the Chapel St precinct has been slammed by locals.

A proposed high rise office complex at 643-647 Chapel St has been rejected by Stonnington Council. Picture: Excerpt from planning documents.

Plans for an “extreme” office tower in South Yarra — tipped to be almost twice as tall as a local height limits permit — have been rejected at council but could still go ahead as a lengthy VCAT hearing looms.

Stonnington councillors unanimously went against officer advice and rejected plans for the proposed 25-storey tower at 643-647 Chapel St.

Applicants Chapel Place Pty Ltd also wanted to include a ground floor cafe and only 50 parking spaces on four levels underground.

The tower would have reached 92m, almost double the recommended 50m height limit for the site.

The entrance to the proposed office tower at 643-647 Chapel St refused by Stonnington Council on March 20, 2023. Picture: Excerpt from planning documents.

The project’s applicants lodged the plans in August 2022 and took them to VCAT after the council failed to make a decision within the prescribed time frame.

But Cr Kate Hely claimed the applicants went to the tribunal in an attempt to bypass council and community feedback.

Cr Hely said despite the tower being well designed, it did not fit in with the community’s expectations, with 40 objections received from local residents.

“People will make a point that it is in line with the emerging character of the area, but it can’t be ignored that buildings either side of this application are not of such an obscene height,” she said.

“It’s just too tall, and I can’t with good conscience allow this to go through as representatives of our community.”

Cr Matthew Koce said the proposal was “a very tall building for a very small site” and felt it would also lead to a traffic “disaster” with more cars using a nearby laneway.

Cr Marcia Griffin said she thought it was telling that no changes were made to the proposed project after a community consultation meeting.

“We have sometimes let these buildings go higher than the preferred council height, but this is really extreme, it towers over the immediate (nearby) buildings,” she said.

Council Watch Victoria and Stonnington Ratepayers president Dean Hurlston said locals had told him they were “getting sick of the current level of development on Chapel St.”

“It seems like every week there is another project proposed (on Chapel St) over the height limit,” he said.

“This was absolutely too tall. I can’t believe officers recommended approving this and it’s good to see councillors pushing back.”

The application will be next discussed at a VCAT conference on March 30, followed by a six-day hearing beginning on June 22.