Lend Lease will review the layout of apartments in its 888 Collins St development, after the City of Melbourne raised issue with the inclusion of windowless rooms.
The “flexi-rooms” were a sore point at the Future Melbourne Committee Meeting on July 1, when a ministerial planning referral came before Melbourne’s councillors.
According to a report presented to councillors at the meeting, a number of apartments in the proposed building would have rooms without access to natural light or ventilation.
Identified as “flexi-rooms”, the council report stated the rooms were not intended as bedrooms but as additional area to increase the useability of the apartments.
But Lord Mayor Robert Doyle dismissed the flexi-rooms as nothing more than cupboards.
“A room that doesn’t have direct or indirect access to daylight, ventilation or outlook is not a room, it’s a cupboard,” Cr Doyle said.
Councillors unanimously endorsed a motion to support the planning application, subject to a number of conditions, including modification of the “flexi-rooms”.
Speaking at the meeting, a Lend Lease spokesperson said the developer was currently reviewing the “flexi-rooms” and looking to change the internal configurations.
Planning Minister Matthew Guy is responsible for approving the planning permit for the proposed 40-storey residential building, which will be located opposite the Library at the Dock in Victoria Harbour.