Former ABC studios site to house boutique apartments

The Melbourne development, to feature up to 175 apartments, is set to retain a key link to its history.

One of the planned apartment buildings for 8 Gordon St, Elsternwick, Victoria

The former home of the ABC’s Gordon Street studios in Melbourne’s leafy Elsternwick is set to be transformed by boutique developer Milieu, with the backing of the wealthy Besen family.

While the property tycoon family is taking a back seat in the marketing of the project, the luxury property outfit has been quietly working on plans for a low-rise European-style redevelopment of the site.

After picking it up for a bargain $29m two years ago, Milieu is soon to launch sales for the project, which was once the home of television production for shows such as Countdown, Kath and Kim and Spicks and Specks.

Milieu scooped up the property after it was offered with hopes of up to $50m in the boom market of 2018, and is launching the project just as apartment living is gaining popularity in Melbourne.

Six apartment buildings are planned for the site of the former ABC studios on Gordon Street, Elsternwick

The developer is planning six buildings ranging from three to six storeys that will sit on the tucked-away site on Elsternwick’s Gordon Street. All up it will have about 175 apartments.

Milieu is keen to retain a connection to the site’s television past and will keep the landmark 25m-high broadcasting tower, though it will be shifted to a less obtrusive part of the site. It is also planning art installations that will provide a contemporary touch while acknowledging the site’s history.

The project will have three-, four- and five-storey unit blocks, and three six-storey buildings, and Milieu has tapped a group of the country’s best built-environment specialists as it looks to get the best out of the site.

A digital render of the interior of one of the planned apartments

Milieu managing director Michael McCormack is hoping buyers will be enticed by views over the neighbouring Rippon Lea Estate and towards Port Phillip Bay over beachside suburbs including St Kilda, where another wealthy property player, Tim Gurner, is developing.

One-bedroom units will start at $695,0000 to $750,000, while two-bedroom formats will be priced at $995,000 to $1.7m. Three-bedroom offerings will cost $1.75m to $4.5m, while the penthouses will come in at $5.95m.

A digital render of one of the planned apartments

While the pricing is below some of the city’s ultra-luxury towers, Milieu is well-versed in luxury projects in Melbourne’s inner city, with earlier projects in Brunswick, Collingwood and Richmond.

The developer will devote more than 40 per cent of the 11,700sq m site to green space alongside its six low-rise buildings. It will also feature a new public park, cultural and arts program, health and wellness facilities and a hospitality offering, while being located near the area’s restaurants, bars, retailers and amenities.

More than 40 per cent of the site will be devoted to green space

An arts and culture program, curated by narrative-driven production house Broached Commissions, is also part of the plans and will put the site’s creative history as the ABC Studios on display.

The historic neighbouring gardens at the Rippon Lea Estate inspired the design.

“This site represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build something truly special … we arrived at a design that centres on a fully realised natural landscape – a series of private, interconnected gardens that encircle the homes and extend seamlessly from Rippon Lea Estate,” Mr McCormack says.

Milieu managing director Michael McCormack says the project will include “a series of private, interconnected gardens that encircle the homes”

Designed in collaboration with international architecture studio Woods Bagot, interior design studios K.P.D.O. and Flack Studio, and landscape architect OCULUS, the facilities will include fitness, yoga and pilates spaces, a steam room, infra-red saunas, as well as mineral and cold plunge pools.

Milieu director and head of development Shannon Peach says the design team have delivered on a brief for a more relatable and European-style of residential development, which was “low-rise housing surrounded by nature, yet accessible to local high streets, the CBD and Melbourne’s beautiful bayside”.

While it will always be known as the home of music show Countdown – and its sale drew the ire of Molly Meldrum – the designers are harking back to the area’s history even before television.

“Melbourne’s inner south has some of the finest examples of mid-century modern architecture,” says Peter Miglis, principal and designer at Woods Bagot.

“We drew on that rich tradition to deliver an architectural response that would complement the area and mirror the tranquil beauty of Rippon Lea Estate.”