This article is from the Australian Property Journal archive
HENGYI Pacific has unveiled plans to transform a 3.41-hectare site in Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula that was home to a polio hospital into a $160 million retirement community.
The developer acquired the waterfront site at 33 Jacksons Rd in Mount Eliza, which overlooks Canadian Bay, from the Department of Health and Human Services last year. The historic site features a 19th century residence and two additional buildings that were built as part of a private estate in 1878 that was transformed into a hospital, and later an aged care facility. They have been granted heritage overlay and will be retained and restored.
Plans lodged to council earlier this month for a development known as Beachleigh feature 105 low density dwellings over eight buildings, with a two-storey height limit, along with extensive resident amenity across a wellness centre, gym, library, cinema, restaurant, bar and lounge, indoor heated pool, spa and an on-site concierge service.
More than 200 metres of waterfront will be integrated into the community and a chapel building converted into a public café and provedore.
Heritage experts Lovell Chen have been appointed to advise on the heritage works while VIA Architects and landscape architects Tract have been engaged to design Beachleigh.
Beachleigh will be Hengyi’s first foray into retirement living, with developer confirming it is considering retaining the asset long-term. It said the plans are part of its diversification strategy as the developer seeks to build low to medium density offerings and penthouse-style, luxury projects, following the launch of its net-zero carbon 31 Coventry Street project on the Melbourne city fringe earlier this year.
Hengyi completed the $350 million Swanston Central high rise, located on the former Carlton United Brewery site in central Melbourne, earlier this year. The 71 level development has 1,045 apartments and 2,500 sqm of retail space.
“We were very sympathetic of the site’s history and wanted to be careful not to overcapitalise on the built form. So we’ve focused on low-density buildings with a maximum two-storey height limit, spread out across the site so as to maintain the sprawling grounds,” Hengyi Pacific general manager Simon Manley said.
He said Hengyi had been careful to respect the neighbouring view lines along with a large portion of the existing vegetation, including a historic century-old Moreton Bay Fig tree.
About 200 local jobs will be created during construction, with further jobs to be created upon completion across administration, management and operations.
The Federal Court has just overturned a freeze of $103 million in assets belonging to Hengyi’s chairwoman, Min Wang. The Australian Taxation Office was granted the order nearly one year ago.
