iTnews

Melbourne's flagship Apple store rejected by Vic heritage authority

By Simon Sharwood on Apr 5, 2019 3:06PM
Melbourne's flagship Apple store rejected by Vic heritage authority

Apple ditches plans.

Apple has ditched controversial plans to build a global flagship store in Melbourne's iconic Federation Square after Heritage Victoria ruled against the construction.

The company had applied to demolish the square's existing “Yarra Building”, which Apple said couldn’t accommodate its hoped-for store and other facilities that it only installs in super-sized flagship stores.

But the Yarra Building can’t be touched without sign-off by Heritage Victoria, which today issued a determination putting the kybosh on Apple's ambitions.

The determination [pdf] comes a month after the City of Melbourne's Future Melbourne Committee resolved to oppose the store, following months of public debate after Premier Daniel Andrews made the shock announcement shortly before Christmas 2017.

Even a public debate at Federation Square in which the square's original architect was roped in to argue for the building's demolition wasn't enough to sway the public's opinion.

Heritage Victoria has now vindicated the Yarra Building's proponents, rejecting Apple’s plans on grounds that replacing the Yarra Building “would result in unacceptable and irreversible detrimental impact on the cultural heritage significance of Federation Square".

The document goes on to say that Apple’s proposed building is too big, out of character with the rest of the Square and eats into public space.

Heritage Victoria added that the likely economic benefits of the Store don’t outweigh the damage done to Federation Square.

In a statement, Apple said it was "disappointed we’re no longer able to pursue our plan for Federation Square", but that it remained committed to all existing 22 retail stores across Australia.

Activists who opposed the Apple Store are chuffed.

BREAKING: Heritage Victoria has REFUSED Fed Square's application to demolish the Yarra Building and replace it with an Apple Store. https://t.co/CkZ7er3sKG pic.twitter.com/cTWgbDTPni

— Rohan Leppert (@RohanLeppert) April 5, 2019

They’ve also reported that Apple has walked away from the project.

Update: Apple is walking, no appeal. It is over.

— Rohan Leppert (@RohanLeppert) April 5, 2019

Chalk one up, then, for the combined might of people power and a regulator that thinks aesthetic consistency matters: among Heritage Victoria’s objections was its belief that the Apple store "will detract from the design language of the existing buildings and public square".

With Matt Johnston

Got a news tip for our journalists? Share it with us anonymously here.
Copyright © CRN Australia. All rights reserved.
Tags:
apple store federation square melbourne strategy

Partner Content

MSI shows first laptops with Wi-Fi 6E, Nvidia RTX 30 graphics
Partner Content MSI shows first laptops with Wi-Fi 6E, Nvidia RTX 30 graphics
MSI launches innovative new laptops
Partner Content MSI launches innovative new laptops
Improving returns from SD-WAN spending
Sponsored Content Improving returns from SD-WAN spending
NCS expands into Australia in partnership with Optus Enterprise
Sponsored Content NCS expands into Australia in partnership with Optus Enterprise

Sponsored Whitepapers

The risky business of open source
The risky business of open source
Mitigating open source risk in your organisation
Mitigating open source risk in your organisation
How to choose a WAF that's right for you
How to choose a WAF that's right for you
The global telco 5G cloud gaming opportunity
The global telco 5G cloud gaming opportunity
Building a ransomware remediation backup strategy
Building a ransomware remediation backup strategy

Events

  • On-Demand Webinar: How Poly and Microsoft are Embracing Future Work Environments
By Simon Sharwood
Apr 5 2019
3:06PM
0 Comments

Related Articles

  • Melbourne Council opposes Apple Store in Federation Square
  • ASIC swaps Global Switch for Canberra Data Centres
  • WA Health names new CIO
  • Virgin Australia's CIO leaves for Ticketek parent TEG
Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share on Whatsapp Email A Friend

Most Read Articles

Telstra pilots its first neurodiversity recruitment program

Telstra pilots its first neurodiversity recruitment program

Accellion hack behind Reserve Bank of NZ data breach

Accellion hack behind Reserve Bank of NZ data breach

Google unravels state-of-art Android and Windows exploit chains

Google unravels state-of-art Android and Windows exploit chains

Signal to ramp up hiring after WhatsApp controversy drives download surge

Signal to ramp up hiring after WhatsApp controversy drives download surge

You must be a registered member of iTnews to post a comment.
Log In | Register
All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in any form without prior authorisation.
Your use of this website constitutes acceptance of nextmedia's Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.